What is Camp Felix? Who May Attend?
Camp Felix is an exciting and fun-filled overnight summer camp experience for children in need. At Camp Felix, kids get to leave their worries behind and focus on two weeks of fun at our beautiful upstate camp site. Campers make new friends, challenge themselves, and learn about the natural world, all in a safe and supportive environment. Camp spirit is a big part of Camp Felix…Our campers and staff can be heard singing songs and cheers each day, many that they wrote themselves.
Camp Felix began as a partnership between The New York Foundling and The Felix Organization/Adoptees for Children, a non-profit organization whose founders were adopted and who wish to give back to children who face hardship in their lives.
The children who attend Camp Felix are recruited from The New York Foundling’s program areas. They include children in foster care settings and those whose families receive preventive services for a variety of difficult circumstances they are facing.
What is the Mission of Camp Felix? The Vision?
Camp Felix aims to be a supportive camp community for children in need; one that enables each child to feel a sense of belonging in the world and to begin to gain the tools necessary to reach his or her physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual potential. Through sports, team activities, and opportunities to learn, share and express themselves, the children can experience real growth while enjoying a carefree time in the country, away from the challenges of everyday life.
Each child who attends Camp Felix will have a positive, enriching camp experience resulting in memories, achievements and personal growth that will positively impact his or her life at camp and beyond. Our aim is for each camper to achieve the following:
- Improved self-esteem and sense of belonging
- Heightened self-confidence including respect for self
- Improved social skills including respect for others
- Improved level of positive decision-making and leadership skills
- Improved physical and cognitive skills
- Increased value development including tolerance for people’s differences
- Higher level of respect for camp environment and our natural world
Above all, we want our campers to have fun!!!!
Our RESPECT Values Program
Camp Felix is dedicated not only to providing fun activities for kids, but also creating an environment in which kids can feel free to be themselves while working to build greater respect for themselves and others. At Camp Felix, all campers, counselors and staff are introduced to our R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Values Program and are expected to uphold the seven values of RESPECT:
Respect for self and others
Engage in positive decision-making
Support each other at camp
Peaceful conflict resolution
Experience something new
Care for your environment
Tolerance for others despite differences
We include the RESPECT Values program in much of what we do, from the teamwork on the soccer field to the cabin guidelines created by each cabin. We aim to instill the values of RESPECT so that our campers can incorporate them into their lives beyond Camp Felix.
For information on how to get involved, contact Amanda Ricken at Amanda.Ricken@nyfoundling.org or 212-886-4049. |
