Local Cooperative Playgroup Boosts Camp Scholarship Funding

PRLog (Press Release) - Jun. 14, 2012 - Southborough Kindergroup, a local cooperative playgroup founded in the 1970s to connect families with young children, today announces a gift to underwrite or assist with summer camp tuition for children who could not otherwise enjoy this valuable, but expensive, childhood experience.

Southborough Youth and Family Services http://www.southboroughtown.com/YouthFamily/youthfam.htm exists to provide meaningful aid and support to families, teens, and children by providing social work and counseling to Southborough’s young people and families. They also provide social activities for children and teens, such as the Summer Activities Program and Teen Centers. The organization is run by a dedicated team of professionals and volunteers, and operates a number of honored community traditions such as the Annual Halloween Party at the Mary Finn School.

Southborough Youth and Family Services, funded in part by Friends of the Southborough Youth Commission, coordinates a campership program every summer.  They negotiate with local camp administrators to secure more affordable rates to attend day and overnight camps and provide camp scholarships to further assist in making a camp experience possible. Camperships present a terrific resource for families during a time of need who would like their children to participate in a camp. Camperships can be applied to a number of regional camp programs including, but not limited to the camps run by Youth and Family Services.

One example is the Sizzlin’ Summer Scene, a summer camp open to students going into 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th grades. This program is low cost with scholarships available
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 9:30 AM to 12:30PM or Tuesdays and Thursdays (field trip days) 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Craft projects, cooking, non-competitive outdoor games, miniature golf, water parks, whale watches, beaches adventure courses and more are offered.

“Southborough Kindergroup contributes as much and as often as possible to the broader community of Southborough with proceeds from the events we operate, including Santa Day and the Community House Egg Hunt,” according to Elizabeth Klein, this year’s Kindergroup chair. “SYFS embodies a mission that is near and dear to the heart of each Kindergroup member – we are diverse group of local families with young children and know first hand that it truly takes a village to raise a child. Kindergroup members work hard to run successful events in order to give back to our ‘village.’”

Laurie Sugarman-Whittier, L.I.C.S.W. and Director of Southborough Youth and Family Services, works with Kindergroup twice each year. In November, Laurie helps Kindergroup kick-off their successful participation in the annual holiday gift card drive, and for the past couple of years, in the spring to determine a need where a Kindergroup year-end gift would help the most.  Laurie enjoyed attending a Kindergroup event to personally thank the membership, accept the Campership donation, and talk about the work and volunteer opportunities within Southborough Youth and Family Services.  “We so much appreciate the help and support of Kindergroup,” she says.  “Their moral and financial support has really helped us to keep some of our important programs afloat in these tough financial times. We look forward to a continued partnership with them.”

About Southborough Youth and Family Services:

Southborough Youth & Family Services is supported by the Town of Southborough along with the expertise of the volunteers who so capably serve on the Southborough Youth Commission Board. We are able to carry out additional good deeds through generous contributions from the Friends of the Southborough Youth Commission.
Our staff members are:
Laurie Sugarman-Whittier, L.I.C.S.W. ¬ Director
Sarah Cassell, LMHC - Assistant Director
Phone:
(508) 481-5676
24 hour answering service

About Southborough Kindergroup:
 
Southborough Kindergroup is a cooperative playgroup for infants, toddlers, and preschool children and their caregivers. Kindergroup has been a part of Southborough for more than 35 years, and its continued success is uniquely dependent upon the cooperation of each and every family that participates. Kindergroup has space for Fall of 2012! Join Monday, Wednesday or Thursday. Come play and make new friends.
Click here to join: http://www.kindergroup.com/kg_joinus.html