Camp offers new life

BY SHAUN LANE
UMCONNECTION STAFF

In the midst of a Baltimore City neighborhood where drug abuse, murder and other violent crimes occur almost daily, 17-year-old Kendrick Wainwright thinks of water.

“I’ve always been fascinated by sea life,” Wainwright said. “I would love to be something like a marine biologist one day. That would be nice.”

For now, the rising high school senior has more immediate plans – “It’s hot,” he said. “It’s time to go swimming.”

With a big assist from Baltimore-Washington Conference apportionment dollars and the Board of Child Care, Wainwright attended Camp Life, a one week camp at West River for Baltimore City youth who have lost loved ones to violence or live in particularly violent neighborhoods.

Camp Life is sponsored by Hope for the City, a conference initiative designed to help control violence and despair in the city. This year, 35 Baltimore teens attended the camp during the first week of August. Activities included Bible study, canoeing, swimming and archery. The campers came from all over the city, each with a unique view of the violence that plagues their neighborhoods.

“I see so many things that aren’t good that it’s just a way of life, you just expect bad things to happen,” Wainwright said. “I’m not surprised when I see anything that happens. Violence surrounds me. It’s a part of life – like making your bed or going to school. I just figure out a way to stay out of trouble.”

Bert Bolar, a volunteer counselor at Camp Life and a member of New Covenant Worship Center UMC in Baltimore, said that beyond exposing the teens to activities that they will not normally see at home, he wants them to leave with a better sense of who God is.

“If we can expose them to all of the wonderful things that God can do and already has done, and get them to depend on God, then this camp will have served its purpose,” Bolar said. “We want them to leave the camp with a sense of community, making sure they know that they are a part of God’s creation.”

All of those who attended Camp Life were on camperships worth $442. The fee included all activities and meals. None of the campers could have attended without the generosity of the Conference apportionment dollars or the Board of Child Care, the sponsors of the camperships.

“Church members often ask where their apportionment dollars are going,” said Bolar, who is also the finance chair at his church. “They want to know what kind of effect their dollars are having. They can look at these kids at West River. Even if it’s only for one week, these kids can have some peace. They can experience new things.”

Wainwright hopes that his experiences at West River and at home combine to help him to realize his goals of going to college. He and his brother were raised by his grandmother, who died three years ago. They now live with his aunt. His mother and father are in and out of his life.

“My father has been in and out of jail, and my mother – I see her around,” Wainwright said. “They do their own thing. I learn from the mistakes I see around me. I try to stay focused on my future and what I hope to be.

“Coming [to West River] reminds me that there is more to life than drugs, gangs and violence. Here they try to build you up and bring you closer to God. So when I see all of the bad things going on at home, I remind myself that I am blessed and have a great future.”