Diedra Laird

DIEDRA LAIRD - Diedra Laird

Claire Tate, head of Partners in Out-of-School Time, administers The Summer Camp Fund, the initiative to send kids from low-income families to camp.

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Claire Tate had the opportunity to attend summer camp as a child. As the executive director of POST (Partners in Out-of-School Time), a Charlotte nonprofit organization, she works to help children find productive ways to spend their time when they are not in school.

Summer camp advocates say when children are out of school, they are more likely to gain weight, forget what they learned in school and engage in risky behavior. Camp provides an environment conducive not only to learning, but also to creativity, self-discipline and confidence.

In 2009, POST partnered with The Charlotte Observer (Lake Norman Magazine’s parent) to launch The Summer Camp Fund. With the donations from this fund, scholarships will provide the opportunity for low-income families to experience the joys and adventures of summer camp. In 2009, the fund sent 138 children to camp, and in 2010, it sent 146. Claire is hoping to send more than 200 children to summer camp this year.

“I hope to raise $75,000 — more than last year!” she says. Last year, the fund raised $60,000.

Donations can be sent to: The Summer Camp Fund, P.O. Box 37269, charlotte, NC 28237-7269, or made online at www.charlotteobserver.com/summercampfund.

For a list of summer camps in the Lake Norman region, click here.