This year, by participating in Camp Young at Heart, my goal is to send at least 4 kids to camp. 

Most people know by now I grew up in a family that experienced chronic poverty and was fostered by my youth pastor as a teen. What they might not realize though, is we were homeless for several years and I experienced significant abuse and neglect-- at times, we even with hungry. I would receive food from teachers and at times would stay with my school counselors and never really understood why. 

In short, my story is peppered with countless hardship and heartache, that no child should experience. I was a victim of my parent's circumstance and statistically speaking, I should have repeated that cycle, but--- I didn't. There was something--some hope and chance that was extended to me along the way that helped me break that cycle and become who I am today. And for that, with every ounce of who I am, I am determined to create that opportunity for others.

At its core, so much of what Camp CommUnity is comes from a place of not just addressing needs--but creating connection and access for kids-- extending that hope and chance. They are not the circumstances they are raised in. They can break the cycle.