Posted July 1, 2018
Swimming is not only a great way to cool off in the summer, it is also an essential life-saving skill. In 1965, Andrea Reid learned to swim on the campus of HumanKind through the Timothy Club, now called Camp Timothy.
“One of the highlights remains to go swimming. Humankind is a safe place that we take the children every summer. The staff there and those in charge continue to have compassion on the children. There is a modest fee for us to use the pool,” Andrea, Camp Timothy’s program director of 24 years, said. “Many are underprivileged and do not have the means to attend a public pool. We also teach them water safety.”
Camp Timothy is a six-week summer camp for children ages 5-14 and the largest program of Churches for Urban Ministry. For the past 66 years, Camp Timothy has served as a safe, caring and nurturing environment for children. Well-trained instructors are on hand to lead 100 campers.
Camp Timothy strengthens the quality of life for children living in the inner-city and surrounding communities of Lynchburg. As you might imagine, there are limited funds for scholarships for Camp Timothy. Over forty percent of their campers come from single-parent homes. A number of these families receive Social Service benefits. Several grandparents on fixed incomes are, out of necessity, raising their grandchildren.
The partnership with HumanKind allows children to learn to swim, play in fields and explore the fishing pond. No electronics – just good, old fashioned recreation.
“We want to help the less fortunate,” Andrea said. “We nurture, we love, we empower them and we encourage them and I know HumanKind does the same thing.”
For additional information on Camp Timothy, go to ChurchesForUrbanMinistry.org. If you are interested in using our facilities on campus at HumanKind, please contact us at 434.485.8120 or facilities@humankind.org.