Photos by Terri Benton-Ollie
Summer camps are gearing up for students of all ages and various interests. Each year Kalamazoo Parks and Recreations Department hosts various summer day camps, which feature everything from writing to nature.
Last year instructors O’Neal Ollie and his wife, Terri Benton-Ollie facilitated the Writing Together project. The project was held at Arcadia Elementary School and allowed students ages 5-14 an opportunity to respond positively with thoughts, actions or antidotes regarding issues from global warming to respect for others.
“It’s amazing the things kids come up with when we give them a chance to express themselves,” said Benton-Ollie. “We can learn a lot from them.”
Benton-Ollie will continue her writing projects with students this summer. She also is opening the program to include a stance for literacy and the importance of families reading together.
In the Douglass Community Center she has organized a room where people of all ages from the community can write. They have options of writing with prompts on a worksheet which express their views of themselves or their community. Also, those submitting a writing piece will have their photos taken and posted in the room on posters which emphasize writing much like the Kalamazoo Public Library’s READ posters stress the fun and importance of reading.
Here is a sample of those words of wisdom from the youth in our community from past workshops facilitated by Benton-Ollie.
Ahmad Abullah: “Love yourself everyday, then you can help others in a real way.”
Amanda Amos: “Always serve and help one another and treat all people like a sister or brother.”
Tyler Cousineau: “There is nothing silly about honoring your family.”
Aaron DeVauld: “Be nice and give good advice.”
Kamari Earl: “Recycling helps the Earth; we all can save money, and increase our savings and self worth.”
Kiara Ford: “Volunteer for your community, it creates unity.”
Joshua Hagemann: “Teamwork makes a dream work.”
Matthew Hennessy: “Graduate from college and gain more knowledge.”
Julia Prichard: “All people can serve, at any age, with all kinds of people, on any stage.”
Elijah Taylor-Jackson: “We can all make a difference when we read and write sometime between sunrise and midnight.”
