CHAMPIONS
(Children Have A Major
Place In Our Neighborhood Services) is a
series of programs for the children of Mercy Centers families, presenting them with
alternatives to the violence and negativity to which they are often subjected.
These activities address the needs of
children for a safe environment and provide an opportunity to advance their creative and
educational potential through individual assistance and group activities.
Current
Programs include:
After-School
Homework assistance, computer tutorials, enrichment
activities (e.g., trips to museums/libraries), tutoring, and mentoring (targeted
to most at-risk children).
Girl Talk
Informal weekly support groups for girls where they discuss issues that are relevant to them
such as relationships,
self-esteem building, communication, and other concerns.
Peace
Programs
Volunteer high school students
teach Mercy Center children the
basics of conflict
resolution
and peace work through artistic
expression, group discussion and celebration.
Gardening Programs
Children learn about plants and see how they grow.
Connections are made between conditions necessary for raising healthy plants and
healthy people. Activities reinforce appreciation of plants as sources of
beauty, food, and clean air. Mercy Center's Garden provides a place for
intergenerational sharing about the native plants found in home countries.
Fiver
Foundation Program
In collaboration with local
organizations, the Fiver Foundation offers inner-city boys and girls the
opportunity to attend a tuition-free camp each summer (two-week minimum)
starting at 8/9 years of age and continuing for a period of ten years.
Designated as a local partner in 2003, Mercy Center now has 27 children
participating in the program.
Seasonal Camps (overnight)
Opportunities for our children to attend overnight summer camps
with the St. Vincent
de Paul Camp and the Mark Bavaro Camp.
Winter/Spring After-School Camps
Two one-week programs for Mercy Center children ages 414, directed by visiting college students from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, and
Assumption College in Worcester, MA.
Special Events
Trips to
Yankee Stadium, the American Museum of Natural History,
and the Museum of Radio and Television; holiday parties to celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving and
Christmas.
