Summer camp brings 'Hope' to children of incarcerated parents

RUTLEDGE, Ga. - There’s no shortage of summer camps in North Georgia, with experiences dedicated to just about every kind of academic, athletic, and artistic pursuit.  But one camp happening this week serves a unique group of young men and women, and the goal of the camp can be found right there in the title.

Camp Hope is a week-long, overnight summer camp that services youth with at least one incarcerated parent.  The camp serves children as young as eight years old, and is broken up into three levels: Cornerstone (for children ages eight to 12), the Leadership Training Academy (for ages 12 to 15), and the Camper2Counselor program, which helps interested campers transition into being counselors. 

The foundation of Camp Hope is faith, and works to surround the young campers in a Christian environment and expose them to Biblical fundamentals.  Camp Hope is presented by Kidz2Leaders, a non-profit organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of incarceration.

This year, Camp Hope is expanding to two weeks of summer camp, thanks mainly to the fundraising efforts of Eddie Capel, who competed in this year’s Brawl for a Cause and was featured right here on Good Day Atlanta for his record-breaking fundraising efforts.  Good Day Atlanta’s Paul Milliken told Eddie’s story back in February, and decided to spend a morning at Camp Hope learning more about the program and the young men and women it serves.