News Releases Archive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Wendy Healy, 203-744-6367
wendy@LDRNY.org
John Scibilia: 866-864-1600
John@LDRNY.org

NEW YORK–AREA DAY CAMP PROGRAM LAUNCHED TO HELP CHILDREN DEAL WITH THE WORLD AFTER SEPT. 11

NEW YORK, NY – May 9 – More than 25 schools and churches throughout New York City, New Jersey and Long Island will host summer day camps, July 8 – Aug. 16, to help children deal with fear and frustration since Sept. 11.

Camp New Ground has been launched to help children overcome the anxiety, fear, trauma and grief, that they may be experiencing since Sept. 11. The week-long camps, open to all children, promise to put campers on "new ground," in the wake of the frightening world that they now live in. A recent report by the New York City Board of Education found that tens of thousands of schoolchildren are still suffering from Sept. 11.

Funded by Lutheran Disaster Response through Lutheran Disaster Response of New York, a joint ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod to aid those affected by Sept. 11, the camps are being operated by Koinonia, a well-established camp ministry run by the Lutheran Church.

"The need for a safe place for children to express what they're feeling has never been more important than right now," said John J. Scibilia, coordinator of LDRNY, "especially in light of the recent Board of Education study."

To be staffed by trained counselors, with access to mental health experts, New Ground day camps will provide children with outlets and resources for expressing their feelings, along with fun activities and play associated with the summer camp experience in a faith-based setting.

"New Ground isn't just for New York City kids who've witnessed the collapse of the World Trade Center," said Scibilia. "It's for all children in light of what has happened in our world."

Camps will be held at the following sites:

QUEENS
St. John's Lutheran Church / Lutheran School of Flushing and Bayside
Atonement Lutheran, Jackson Heights
Holy Trinity, Bellrose
Trinity Lutheran at Martin Luther High School
St. Jacobus Lutheran, Woodside
Grace Lutheran, Forest Hills
Redeemer, Queens Village
Prince of Peace - Cambria Heights

BROOKLYN
Trinity Lutheran
Salem Lutheran
Our Savior

BRONX
Calvary Lutheran
Transfiguration

STATEN ISLAND
Christ Lutheran
St. Paul/St. Luke Lutheran Church

LONG ISLAND
Incarnation, Bridgehampton
Hope Lutheran, Selden
Trinity, Hicksville
Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Mineola

NEW JERSEY
Advent Lutheran, Fort Lee
St. Paul's, Elizabeth

Fort Lee For more information on a camp near you, send an email to Koinoniany@yahoo.com, visit www. LDRNY.org.