TRAC Camp in Need of Donations

FOSTER CHILDREN are the most AT-RISK group of children in the United States. Every year over 3 million American children are reported as abused. This is defined as being physically attacked, emotionally damaged, sexually molested, or severely neglected; often by people children have loved and trusted most. Many of these children end up in DCFS foster care. Foster children are proven to be at a higher risk for future homelessness, prison terms, and unwanted pregnancies. By the age of 18, 40% of foster children will be incarcerated. These staggering statistics show how necessary it is that the forgotten children from our own local neighborhoods be offered some positive alternatives to the abuse and neglect that they have suffered. Last summer, a group of volunteers had a vision to start the Teen Reach Adventure Camp (TRAC). TRAC is a volunteer ministry that provides a Christian-based summer camp for children between the ages of 12 and 15 who reside in foster or group homes in Lake, Cook, and McHenry Counties. Their goal is to hold their first TRAC program this July for roughly 50 teens. They will be taking graduates from Royal Family Kids Camp, an affiliated program which serves 7-11 year old foster children. The hope is that if they can get kids to camp a few years from 7-11 at RFKC and a few more years from 12-15 at TRAC, than a powerful, positive impact can be made on the lives of children who have very little hope for a bright future. The cost to run the camp this first year will be approximately $20,000. The per capita annual cost to the state to incarcerate a juvenile offender in a correctional institution is $70,827. Nearly half of all teens discharged from juvenile prisons will return within three years. If we can keep just one child a year out of the juvenile justice system, this money will have been well spent. Please consider making a donation to support the TRAC program. Any support that you can offer will help to reach the goal of making a difference by providing hope. Further information about TRAC can be found at www.teenreachadventurecamp.org. To make a donation, go to http://trac-chicago.bbnow.org/