Thanks to several community partners, the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum awarded 45 scholarships to St. Johns County students for the Lighthouse Ancient City Explorers Summer Camp.
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA. – Excited chatter filled the 140 year-old tower at the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum on Tuesday morning as students ascended 219 steps to the top. The museum’s Lighthouse Ancient City Explorers Summer Camp is in full swing, with six weeks of camp programming scheduled for June and July. This year, 45 at-risk students from St. Johns County will experience camp for the first time thanks to fundraising support from the local community.
“We are so thankful for all of the fundraising support and donations received from the St. Augustine community,” said the museum’s Executive Director Kathy A. Fleming. “From online contributions like the Sertoma Club’s Indiegogo campaign to the countless folks who have dropped off craft supplies, so many people have helped make this camp possible for our local students.”
Nearly 100 students, grades K-5, will attend camp over four weeks in June and July. Each week will highlight a different segment of St. Augustine culture including British, Menorcan and African-American heritage. In addition to discovering maritime culture at the lighthouse, students will also explore other historic St. Augustine sites and enjoy a sailing excursion onboard the Schooner Freedom.
Through their Indiegogo campaign, the St. Augustine Sertoma Club raised more than $4,500 for the Steve Senecal Scholarship Fund. The fund will provide around 27 scholarships for summer camp as well as the holiday and spring break camps also hosted by the museum. Scholarships are awarded by the St. Johns County School District to recipients who show academic promise, but lack the financial means to attend camp.
Other community partners who contributed to the museum’s 2014 summer camp programs include the Barbara A. Kay Foundation, Diane’s Natural Food Market, Old Town Trolleys, the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations, the St. Johns County Education Foundation, Baker Pest Control and Chick-Fil-A.
In addition to providing students with science, technology, engineering, arts and math experiences, the museum’s camp program also provides snacks and lunches for campers. For many local students who rely on free or reduced lunch programs to receive meals during the school year, this fulfills a critical need.
Beginning July 14th, the museum will also offer two sessions of ship modeling camp for older students who have completed grades 5 – 8. This unique camp combines elements of history and architecture. Volunteers from the museum’s traditional wooden boatworks and ship modeling group will assist students with interactive projects during each week-long session. Scholarships from this camp were provided by the Barbara A. Kay Foundation.
“We are so excited to provide these opportunities for St. Augustine students to experience the culture of our area,” said Fleming. “Summer camp is such a fun experience we all remember fondly from our childhood. We love creating the same great camp memories for new students.”
Openings are still available for the last two sessions of Lighthouse Ancient City Explorers Summer Camp (June 23 – 27; July 7 – 11) and both sessions of ship modeling camp (July 14 – 18; July 21-25). To sign your child up or make a donation to support camp programming, visit www.staugustinelighthouse.org.
ABOUT THE ST. AUGUSTINE LIGHTHOUSE & MUSEUM:
A pivotal navigation tool and unique landmark of St. Augustine for over 140 years, the St. Augustine Light Station is host to centuries of history in the Nation’s Oldest PortSM. Through interactive exhibits, guided tours and maritime research, the 501(c)3 non-profit St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum is on a mission to preserve, present and keep alive the story of the Nation’s Oldest Port SM as symbolized by our working lighthouse. We are the parent organization to the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP) and an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.