Last week, we marked a significant milestone for the Seeds of Hope Cultural Center. We celebrated ten years of Seeds of Hope Summer Camp! What started as a small event with big potential in 2014 has now become the highlight of the year for many children and students around Jericho.
“Every day, kids would say, ‘This is the best day of my life!’” said Simon Shaheen, Seeds of Hope Cultural Center Director, who has led the camp for all ten years. “Their smiles and laughter filled our hearts every day. On the last day of camp, many campers were in tears because it was over.”
A decade ago, Simon and his team chose the name Fruits of the Desert for camp—a name that is still fitting years later. “The desert usually brings to mind images of towering dunes and scorched earth,” says Simon. “But even in the most difficult circumstances, exotic desert fruits are growing.”
Just like the camp’s name, this year showed that beauty and goodness can grow out of even the most difficult circumstances. Typically, we have big project teams who come to help lead and facilitate camp. They host activities, engage with the kids, and provide additional leadership. Because of the ongoing war, those teams could not come. Despite the apparent challenges, the Seeds of Hope family came together to make camp happen.
We were thrilled to have a small team from The Athlete’s Table come for part of the camp and help make it an incredible experience. Not only that, but our student leaders stepped up once again to take on more responsibility and ownership of the camp. These teenagers grew up going to camp and now are old enough to come back and help lead the younger children and invest in them. We affectionately call them “Mini-Leaders,” and their impact on Summer Camp has blown us away.
“We’re so proud of our Mini-Leaders,” said Simon. “Now they’re 13 to 16 years old, but we’ve known them since they were in diapers. Seeing them taking on responsibility and working hard to give the kids of Jericho this amazing experience is one of the highlights. When we talk about fruits growing in the desert, our Mini-Leaders are like a beautiful garden.”
PHOTO: This group represents all our incredible Summer Camp leaders!
“We are thankful we could bring some normalcy to kids’ lives after such a stressful and heartbreaking year,” said Simon. Just like adults, our children are living in stressful, sometimes frightening times during this war. Their homes likely have the news playing 24/7, waiting to hear what is developing around them. It’s hard right now for children to escape the realities of what’s around them—to really get to enjoy childhood. So, we designed our four weeks of Summer Camp to be just that.
From playing games and going to the pool to enjoying music, art, and dancing—even learning cooking and fencing—we packed as much fun and learning into camp as possible. The team from The Athlete’s Table also hosted sports clinics that our campers loved.
Check out this video recap of Summer Camp! It was shot and edited by Toleen, one of our Mini-Leaders who started in the After-School Program, and it features an original song that the team wrote for this year’s camp!
Parents love Summer Camp as well. Not only is it a much-needed break where their children are entertained during a stressful season, but they also see the impact that camp has on their sons and daughters. “Over the course of ten years, my children and their friends have grown with you,” said Salam, a parent of a long-time camper. “You have written a whole decade of creativity and diversity. Every year, you become better than the year before.”
Ten years of camp represents hundreds of children who have built relationships, grown in their confidence and love for others, and experienced the hope and light that Seeds of Hope is working to share.
“The scripture says that ‘The desert and parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom (Isaiah 35:1),’” shared Simon. “For ten years, we have seen what this scripture promises come to pass right in front of our eyes.”
We’re so grateful for every volunteer, staff member, project team, and donor who has made these years of impact possible. We can’t wait for ten more!
