It's Been Awhile

One of the consequences of my recent move to downtown Camden has been the loss of steady access to a computer lab and, hence, internet access. That's my way of apologizing for the two week silence.

The past two weeks have been challenging and exciting with a packed schedule that promises to only get busier in the upcoming week. After my first week of program at Camp Grace, we had only half of a week to make room for this week's annual UrbanPromise Banquet, a rather involved show put on by children and young adults throughout the organization to allow parents and donors a glimpse inside UrbanPromise. After a successful show for family and friends on Wednesday night, seven hundred donors showed up for the banquet the following night. Performances included songs by a choir assembled from a diverse group of UrbanPromise programs, the UrbanPromise Step Team, a skit by alumni of UrbanTrekkers, the presentation of a boat from the UrbanBoatworks project, all emcee'd by two fifth graders from the North/Downtown programs. Almost as incredible as the kids themselves and the amount of preparation that went into the event was the sheer number of people who are involved in making UrbanPromise go as an organization. Mingling before we served them dinner, I was impressed by the stories that each and every donor had about how they got involved with UrbanPromise and what that involvement had meant to them. Even though I see mostly what the staff and volunteers do every day, I rarely consider the hundreds and hundreds of people who are also involved directly or indirectly in every piece of what we do each day. It is quite cool, for the lack of a better word, to imagine my staff of four or five as one of seven hundred.

Next week, the last week of October, we have a "special week" in camp, where we get extra funding. With this, we'll be taking the 7th and 8th graders to a haunted house and the 6th graders skating. This Friday we're holding a Harvest Carnival, with games and food and fun for all the kids involved with UrbanPromise programs. Then on Saturday and Sunday, we'll be taking 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders from all the different programs on a bus to visit Messiah College and get an early taste of college life from students that partner with us there. We'll also visit Hershey Park and stay overnight in a hotel with a swimming pool which might be the most exciting part of the trip for some of our kids.

In short, I'm finding myself both excited and exhausted, and I'm looking forward to what this week has in store for all of us.