Mission and Goals

Mission

The mission of the Summer Fund is to ensure that underserved children and youth in the Metropolitan Boston area have access to a wide variety of affordable, high-quality camp-based recreational and learning opportunities, by providing resources for operational support, capacity building and professional development.

Goals

The Summer Fund dedicates its resources, effort, and time to achieving the following:

  • Growing a collaborative pool of funding to support summer camp and programs serving urban, underserved children and youth;
  • Increasing the number of summer program slots that are accessible to urban, underserved children, youth, and families;
  • Increasing summer camp and program quality by providing operational support, capacity building and professional development AND conducting ongoing assessments of quality standards;
  • Building a strategic portfolio of camps that provide high-quality recreational, academic support, and experiential learning opportunities

Summer Fund Fact

In partnership with Bank of America, Boston Private Industry Council and Hale Reservation, the Summer Fund’s 2017 Teen Leadership Institute provided 150 Boston Public High School teens job training, workplace skills, leadership development and CPR training to better prepare them for success in a summer employment opportunity.

Our Impact

The Summer Fund provides 60% of the total number of groups we serve for our summer programs, which yields 35% of our total participants and 40% of our participant fees. The impact of the Summer Fund on YES’s Outdoor Adventure Program is substantial. It provides the opportunity for more than 250 participants to receive introductory, one-day outdoor experiential education excursions, which we hope will leave them yearning to come back for more.

— Youth Enrichment Services (YES)

Random Quote

Shelter life is difficult for children, especially during the summer when school is out. At camp, this 9-year-old boy played tennis, swam, and made friends with other children his own age. We are grateful we could offer him a fun and stimulating opportunity to spend time outside of the shelter this summer.

— Casa Myrna, Boston