Sheriff's Office Summer Youth Camp 

The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office Explorer Post 483 will be conducting its "Summer Youth Camp 2006" between the dates of May 30, 2006 and July 7, 2006 . This camp is a ten week program that takes at risk children or children who are trying to find their path in life, and introduce them to law enforcement in a different manner than they are used to seeing. This camp will give children positive alternatives in their lives. The camp will be centered on five main goals: nutrition, safety, fitness, health, and harmony . It is the desire of the Sheriff's Office to take these children and provide them with direction, give them positive role models, and facilitate education in a setting that is different from the typical contact they would have with law enforcement. Campers who are chosen to attend the camp must meet three of the five criteria:

  * Free or reduced lunch

  * Low income

  * Have one parent in the Criminal Justice System

  * Single parent

  * At risk behavior at school

The campers are identified by school resource officers, Guidance Counselors, Probation Officers, or juvenile Judges. The camp will be open to children who are enrolled in the sixth grade to those going into the eighth grade. The camp will be operated five days a week, from 8 AM to 4 PM .

Community support is vital to this program. If we can prevent one young person from turning to a life of drug use, all of the efforts are worth it. To place a child in a commitment program costs an average of $117 a day for a year. The costs of this summer camp are dramatically less. If companies or individuals would like to help sponsor campers to this non-profit camp, they can do so through donations to the Santa Rosa County Explorer Post 483. The Explorer Post would appreciate any donations from local businesses or community members to assist in financing this program to make it a success for our community. Any questions or comments can be directed to Explorer Advisor Deputy Michelle Gunn at 393-0338.