News
Appel Farm Launches New Summer Arts Day Camp Program
May 14, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (ELMER, NJ, MAY 14, 2024)
Appel Farm Arts and Music Center is proud to announce the launch of their new Summer Arts Day Camp program, welcoming 50 youth ages 8-12 to Appel Farm’s campus this August.
Summer Arts Day Camp will run Monday through Friday for three weeks, from August 5 to August 23, 2024, operating from 8:30am-1:30pm daily. This new program will host 25 students from the City of Salem and 25 students from the City of Camden who will be recruited through program partners, Ranch Hope and Katz Camden’s Charter School Network, respectively. Program partners will also provide transportation for the participants. Campers will participate each day in visual and performing arts classes, and will have ample opportunities for physical activities including swimming and outdoor recreation such as basketball, tennis, gaga ball, soccer, and nature walks on Appel Farm’s 115-acre campus. Breakfast and lunch will be supplied by the Food Bank of South Jersey through their Summer Meals program.
The Day Camp will be modeled after Appel Farm’s award-winning overnight Arts Camp, which helps hundreds of youth each summer to build social skills, develop peer relationships, and find non-traditional opportunities promoting physical and mental health, while engaging in activities rooted in National Core Arts Standards. Day Camp activities will be rooted in Appel Farm’s approach which integrates Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) goals into artistic skillbuilding and cultivating strong peer communities for youth through artmaking and student-centered learning.
Executive Director Jessica Doheny states: “We are grateful to the support of our funders and program partners in helping Appel Farm launch this new summer camp experience. This program is designed to address several critical needs for youth in our region, which have also been identified as social determinants of health, well-being, and quality of life.”
This program is funded, in part, by a grant from the Salem Health & Wellness Foundation. Executive Director Paul DiLorenzo states: “The Salem Health and Wellness Foundation is proud to support this exciting new partnership with Appel Farm and Ranch Hope. We believe that this summer opportunity will provide an unforgettable experience for youth in Salem County.”
Additional program support is provided by the Katz Camden’s Charter School Network and Ranch Hope. This support will enable Appel Farm to offer this program at low or no cost to participating youth.
About Appel Farm
Appel Farm co-creates experiences that lead to wholeness through the arts. It does so by inspiring and empowering people to unleash their authentic creativity, leading to self- discovery, community building, and joy. Founded in 1960 by Albert and Clare Appel, Appel Farm began as a summer arts camp. The Appels, both professional musicians and music educators, believed that the arts play a crucial role in developing a child’s learning skills, encouraging personal growth, and instilling a sense of community and responsibility. They believed that all children have artistic talent, thus the camp was intended to promote a supportive environment in which the individual child can learn, experience and grow in a wide variety of artistic media. Now in its seventh decade, Appel Farm has evolved into a multidisciplinary regional arts center serving audiences, artists, and students through local, regional, national, and international programs. Our programs build on the Appel’s founding principles, providing opportunities for arts education, arts appreciation and creative expression to more than 32,000 children and adults annually. More information about Appel Farm can be found at www.appelfarm.org or by calling (856) 358-2472.
About Ranch Hope
Since 1964, Ranch Hope has served families across New Jersey through Christ-centered love and compassion. Ranch Hope has proactively met the needs of adolescent children through structured programming in a residential setting. Thousands of children and their families have benefited from residential treatment, special education, day school, shelter services and summer camp programs. Ranch Hope’s Camp Edge ministry is a 78-acre facility in Alloway with a lake, ropes course, biking trails and more.
About the Salem Health & Wellness Foundation
The Salem Health and Wellness Foundation was founded in 2002 for the purpose of promoting the health and wellness of Salem County residents. Headquartered in Salem, the Foundation has made over $58 million in grants, contributions and scholarships to 68 organizations, all with the specific requirement that the funds address health problems in our county. Learn more at salemwellnessfoundation.org.
About the Katz Camden’s Charter School Network
Founded in 2011, the mission of the Camden’s Charter School Network (CCSN) is to expand educational opportunity in Camden City through continuing the work started with Camden’s Promise, Camden Academy, Camden’s Pride, and Katz Dalsey. The goal is to give all children in Camden an equal opportunity to achieve their greatest potential, to raise awareness of education policy, to expand resources from pre-school to the post-secondary experience, to build leadership, and support program capacity for the City of Camden. Friends of Knowledge A to Z Academy Charter School, Inc. (Friends of Katz) was founded as a support organization for the Knowledge A to Z Academy Charter School. Mr. Lewis Katz and Ms. Marcy Dalsey founded KATZ Academy Charter School in 2012. They continuously dedicated their time and effort to ensuring its success.A combined effort of these two organizations, to be known as Katz Camden’s Charter School Network, was announced in 2024 to provide funding and engage additional partnerships for programs to support the children of Camden City.