All Children Deserve To Feel Wanted and Loved. Kids in foster care have suffered trauma and loss at a young age. Camp Horizon helps these kids to heal with guidance and consistency through year-round, no-cost mentoring programs. We work to restore dignity and hope to children, teens and young adults who have been abused and neglected - empowering them to make good decisions and lead healthy, productive lives. Since 1982, Camp Horizon helps campers believe they are children of promise.
Currently, there are on average 1,750 children and teens residing in foster care in metro Atlanta's Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties; youth who have been removed from their homes due to no fault of their own. Most youth in foster care deal with diminished self worth and confidence. Some struggle with behavioral challenges, outbursts, anger, and aggression. A smaller number might deal with food issues related to lack of food security. Most are likely to develop risky behaviors.
Camp Horizon focuses on the basic psycho-social needs of children who have suffered trauma. Working on self esteem, trust, resilience, and motivation require a long-term, consistent time investment with personal and meaningful interaction. Our volunteer mentors make this possible and successful. Year-round programs offer a safe place for kids to feel loved, supported and encouraged. Campers take on challenges, set goals and succeed at things they never dreamed possible, while among "family."
In the long-term, providing love and support for "unwanted kids" helps to counter common negative behaviors that typically lead to substance abuse, violence, crime, poverty and illness or early death. Today, more than half of our US homeless and sex-trade populations are former foster youth! As a society, we can do better for our most vulnerable kids. Annually we reach on average 70 youth with the intention to "break the cycle" of abuse and provide guidance for making good decisions.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
