Cara's page: Help support the inspiring DAYS Kids

From tiny acorns mighty oaks grow (bending the phrase a bit). Nothing better describes the DAYS' incredible journey over the past 50+ years.  Started as a summer day camp for the under served, low-income children of downtown Long Beach and focused on bridging the educational achievement gap, DAYSLB  has grown into a year round program now indispensable to the children and their families in the downtown area and beyond. 

At the root of this amazing transformation was hard work and reliable donations from our incredible supporters like you.  It couldn't have happened without all of you! Those of you who have known me for awhile know that I have been on the DAYS Board for about 20 years.  I have seen this expansion up close and assure you that the growth and change is remarkable and every penny you have invested in DAYS has been invested in our incredible children. And that investment has been returned 1000%. These children and young folks are truly amazing to me. If you have come to my donation site in past LB Gives, you also know that we now have Board members and administrative staff who came up through DAYS, went on to college and are back to help continue this amazing journey.  From all of them I thank you for your continued support.

Want some factoids about 2024?

Let's start with our free Summer Day Camp program:

***We had 216 children(5-17 yrs old) registered at camp, that doesn't count the youth who were stepping into a counselor-in-training position, nor the ex-campers who have gone on to college and come back for the summer to fill the counselor positions, giving them not just a job but a chance to gain leadership skills. 

***Every year Day Camp has a theme around which age-appropriate activities are organized. Summer 2024 themes were built around "Healthy Relationships", "Environmental Health" and "Digital Safety" and for the older youth "College and Career explorations".

***There were age appropriate events, exercises and workshop that focused on emotional well-being, emphasizing compassion, the need for self care, and healthy ways to move through life's challenging times,  skills for managing disappointment, stress and anger.

***Campers learned about environmental health from an expert in the field who came to teach a workshop on sustainability, emerging technologies and preparing our communities to move toward a healthier environment.

***They learned about how to keep themselves and their friends and families safe in the digital realm of social media.

DAYS Kids always have a great summer!

What else does DAYSLB do?

Facts about year-round activities:

Just to name a few:

Leaders Long Beach, our innovative program that grew organically and is led by the DAYS Summer Day Camp Alumni, supports academic success, scholarships and service learning/internships for the over 17youth.

DAYSLB is a hub working together with other organizations in order to tackle larger problems like school safety, food distribution to families who experience food insecurity, and building a safe and healthy community.

Who distributed 4300lbs of fresh produce EVERY MONTH?

DAYS DID, every Friday with a hearty band of volunteers.

Who helped feed 110 households WEEKLY?

DAYS DID, again...those volunteers!

Who made sure 1760 folks had enough food for the month, EVERY MONTH?

DAYS DID.

I could go on but I invite you ask me directly or to learn more, check back in a few weeks to the DAYSLB website (it's being updated soon...www.dayslb.org...with our annual report).

IN THE MEANTIME, FROM MY HEART, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATION.