Aiming for an archery award
Olga Garcia, a textile factory worker, walks her 8-year-old daughter Lindsey to her elementary school in South Los Angeles every day, but she hasn’t been able to shield her from the crime, drug addicts and homelessness that exist in their neighborhood.
“Walking out into the streets, there are a lot of men drinking beer, selling things and making the streets dirty,” Garcia said. “Lindsey is scared to go out by herself, and she’s scared to go near the drunks and drug addicts.”
This summer, however, Lindsey will leave behind the violence and hazards of the city to spend a week at Camp Ide in the San Bernardino Mountains, which is run by the , a private, nonprofit agency in L.A.
She, along with 65 other girls and boys ages 8 to 12, will go to the camp and take part in fun and games such as arts and crafts and relay races.
Campers will also explore what nature has to offer, including going hiking, swimming and traveling to vari- ous waterfalls and Big Bear Lake.
Having attended the camp last summer, Lindsey looks forward to returning.
“It was so fun and I made new friends and I liked it,” she said. “They take you to new places and give you food to eat.”
While at camp last year, Lindsey practiced her archery skills nearly every day and hopes to earn an award this time around.
“I want to win a medal to . . . see that I accomplished it,” Lindsay said. “It would make me happy.”
The camp provides the leisurely recreation that isn’t available in the city, and that can be a positive and beautiful experience for Lindsey, her mother said.
“I want her to go because she can be with friends and they show her new activi- ties,” Garcia said. “She’s more independent in doing things now.”
The camp serves as a getaway for kids who live in high-crime areas, camp director Julio Ramos said.
“A lot of kids in the area don’t even go play in the local parks,” Ramos said. “Their parents are afraid to take them.”
Getting them out of the community for a week helps them tremendously, he said. “It’s just a great place to go and have fun,” Ramos said.
With $1.8 million raised last year by the Los Angeles Times Summer Camp Campaign, approximately 8,000 children will go to camp in Southern California this summer.
The Summer Camp Campaign, in its 55th year, is part of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund, a McCormick Foundation fund, which matches all donations at 50 cents on the dollar.
Donations are tax-deductible as permitted by law. Addresses will not be released or published. For more information, call (800) LA TIMES, Ext. 75771, or e-mail familyfund @latimes.com.
Mail donations using the attached form (do not send cash), donate by phone at (800) 518-3975 or donate online now at latimes.com/donate.
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