TWIG (Together We Influence Growth) Day Camp

TWIG'S HISTORY.
TWIG Day Camp (Together We Influence Growth) was founded in the mid-1960s after a young family man, Mr. David James, had heard Martin Luther King speak on Winnetka's Village Green. Encouraged by many local residents, Mr. James, his wife Mary, and their six children subsequently moved to the North Shore.  Inspired by Dr. King's message of equality, and as the first African-American man to own a home in Winnetka, The Jameses thought they could do something to help integrate the area. Children from their old Hyde Park neighborhood came to play in the James family's back yard, and TWIG Day Camp was born.

TWIG TODAY.
TWIG continues to bring children from the same south side neighborhoods to Winnetka for a summer of fun and learning for all children involved.  TWIG is a non-profit day camp that provides quality programming for children from both the suburbs and the city, where they are able to interact in a multi-cultural atmosphere of fun and learning.  Approximately 110 campers, ages 6-11, participate in a variety of activities that are enjoyable, as well as educational.  Each week, we explore a different theme, ranging from important issues such as the environment and cultural diversity, to just plain fun like International Day and the Talent Show.

TWIG’s IMPORTANCE.
TWIG normalizes interactions between children who live in neighborhoods with limited diversity. It allows kids to have fun and find commonalities and understanding among  others that may not look like them. These interactions are crucial in shaping a child’s understanding of the world and their place within it as they are the future. Today more than ever TWIG’s mission is relevant; to bring people together despite the color of their skin. The camp operates on donations and tuition alone since it is a nonprofit and any contribution would be greatly appreciated. Proceeds would provide for vital funding due to fiscal challenges last year. TWIG is a 501 C3 charity and donations are deductible up to the limits of the IRS rules.

WHERE YOUR $ WILL GO and WHY ITS NEEDED.
For many years TWIG day camp has had many donors; however, over the years we have watched the number of donors decrease due to many of them becoming deceased.  Also last year we did not receive a grant from our biggest supporter, “Chicago Children’s Charities’,  who would raise between 5 and 10,000 dollars a year!   These contributions are what we had used to help pay for swimming and general transportation. Many people use to send money to keep the camp running.  Running a “Non-for-profit” day camp takes a lot of funding.  Here is where your funding would apply to.
—TWIG campers have a swimming class every day for five weeks and to do so we pay for pool time and instructors.
—TWIG camp and it’s facilities insurance for campers.
—Transportation for our campers to TWIG, return to the city, and for all to daily swimming. —Field trip transportation fees
—Yearly storage for TWIG equipment and supplies
—Accounting for tax purposes 501-3c
—Employee wages and payments
—Entertainment during PBJ’s each week by guest performers
—Communication fees: Internet and Web page development