Sisters get to try new things at camp

For Aaliyah and Adriana Lewis, 9 and 12, returning to summer camp for a second time means not being afraid of leaving home and knowing where the best spots are to meet up at camp.

Since they were in separate cabins last year, the girls chose to convene at the snack bar so they could hang out when they missed each other.

By the end of the week, both sisters had made new friends, some of whom they hope to see again when they head back this summer.

“The day they left the camp, they cried because they didn’t want to leave,” said their mom, Elvia Lewis.

Aaliyah and Adriana live with their mother, who works as a medical assistant, three brothers and another sister in San Miguel, a small town in central California. Through their local Salvation Army branch, the family found out about Camp Gilmore, which is in Malibu Canyon near Calabasas.

“I’ve always watched all the camp shows, but our parents couldn’t afford it growing up,” Lewis said. For her daughters, though, that opportunity has come around for a second year in a row.

About 175 children, ages 8 to 12, attend Camp Gilmore for a week, with sessions lasting through mid-August, sponsored by the Salvation Army. Campers, most of whom come from underprivileged backgrounds, participate in activities such as archery, swimming and hiking.

In addition to the traditional fare, participants also get a chance to try new and unusual things, according to camp director Don Mowery. In past summers, these have included martial arts training, woodworking and a sign language class.

The camp becomes a place away from the stresses of daily life, and campers get to interact with other children they wouldn’t necessarily have met, Mowery said.

“In a lot of ways, it’s a place of refuge -- even for kids that have great parents,” Mowery said, adding that for many of the campers, it’s their first time out of an urban setting.

For Aaliyah, the most memorable part of camp last year was learning how to swing dance. “I like to sing and dance -- it’s really fun,” she said.

For Adriana, it was hiking and having a water balloon fight. Her advice to campers leaving home for the first time: Bring things that remind you of home. “You can just bring a picture of someone you’ll really miss,” Adriana said.

The Los Angeles Times Summer Camp Campaign gave $200,000 to the camp last year.

Thanks to the $1.7 million raised last year by the Los Angeles Times Summer Camp Campaign, about 8,000 children will go to camp in Southern California this summer.

The Los Angeles Times Family Fund is a fund of the McCormick Foundation, which matches all donations at 50 cents on the dollar.

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nicole.loomis@latimes.com