In the Tampa Bay area alone, an average of eight children a day are placed into foster care due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. Tampa Kids Camp, formerly known as Royal Family Kids, exists to make the lives of foster children better through life-changing summer camps.
The faith-based organization is part of a national nonprofit agency and will host its annual fundraising gala at The Regent in Riverview on Thursday, March 28 at 6:30 p.m. The event will feature dinner, dancing, a silent auction and keynote speaker Lauren Dungy.
Dungy is an early childhood educational specialist, a bestselling author and the wife of former NFL player and coach Tony Dungy. The devoted wife and mother of nine children has a passion for helping families, which is seen through her work with local adoption agencies and women’s shelters in the Tampa Bay area.
Tickets to the Gala can be purchased at www.TampaKidsCamp.org. The proceeds will go toward sponsorships for foster kids to attend summer camp.
“For the first two years, our nonprofit organization used the name Royal Family Kids Camp because it was our only camp,” explained Scott Mulhollen, the executive director and founder of the Tampa Bay chapter. “We are excited in 2019 to add Teen Reach Adventure Camp (TRAC), which will serve foster kids ages 12-16.”
He continued, “Going forward, we will be using Tampa Kids Camp as our nonprofit name which better fits our plans of adding additional camps and programs for foster kids in the future.”
This summer, Tampa Kids Camp will provide two unique camps for foster children who have experienced abuse, abandonment or neglect. Both camps have a ratio of one adult to one child so that the campers receive extra attention in a safe and caring environment.
The Royal Family KIDS Camp is for children ages 6-12. The weeklong overnight camp will be held from July 1 to July 5 and is filled with opportunities for kids to be treated like royalty and learn about God’s unconditional love. Along with traditional camp activities, the week will include a carnival, birthday bash, water works and much more.
The newly added TRAC program focuses on building self-worth and creating positive memories. Boys and girls have separate three-day sessions held at an adventure camp featuring low ropes course elements, boating, archery and other outdoor activities. The girl’s program is from July 22 to July 24, and the boy’s program is from July 25 to July 27.
To find out more about Tampa Kids Camp, visit www.TampaKidsCamp.org or email camp@tampakidscamp.org.
