DAY 1 (December 20) | Jojo
DAY 1: Jojo started at Lincoln Street this fall after a long move from Texas. His adult was worried about how he would adjust after such a big move, and was concerned about how staff would react to his high energy. In just a few months at The Club, Jojo has become such an involved member and he's made so many friends! He absolutely loves being with the other first graders during homeroom, and his favorite spaces are the Gym and Games Room. Jojo comes into the Club every day with a smile and a story, ready to tell staff and his new friends all about it and to productively use all that after-school energy!
Thanks to donors like you, Monroe County kids like Jojo have access to the Club and all it offers. Thank you for giving!
DAY 2 (December 21) | Evelyn
DAY 2: Evelyn, like many members, has struggled with regulating their emotions while at The Club. Evelyn started this school year struggling to stay in a program and unable to use her words to express what she needed with staff members. With some help from Ferguson Crestmont's Social Emotional Director (the amazing Anneke), our member inclusion team, and her family, Evelyn went from being a member who struggled to be at The Club to winning Caring member of the week to Member of the Month! She has been shining at The Club and beyond with the new tools she has to help express and regulate her emotions.
Thanks to donors like you, Monroe County kids like Evelyn have access to the Club and all it offers. Thank you for giving!
DAY 3 (December 22) | Maverick
DAY 3: Maverick is an Ellettsville member that used to struggle to get along with other members and engage in programs. This fall, Maverick has found a new passion at the Club. He found a love for all things origami! This new passion has allowed him to make a lasting new friendships with other members and to connect with staff. He takes pride in sharing his new passion with other members as well as teaching them how to do origami. His new hobby has greatly helped him in making positive connections with his peers!
Thanks to donors like you, Monroe County kids like Maverick have access to the Club and all it offers. Thank you for giving!
DAY 4 (December 23) | Alex
DAY 4: Alex has been attending the Lincoln Street Club since he was old enough to become a member. In the past, Alex has struggled with socializing and participating in activities with others, as well as some social-behavioral issues. This year, Alex has really bonded with the teen staff and other teens at the Club. Staff have seen so much improvement in how he interacts with others since joining the teen program. Alex has started taking initiative to help others, and can usually be found helping to clean up, socializing with other teens or younger members or trying on new leadership roles. This year, Alex has become a great leader in the teen’s Carbon Monoxide event and their Lemon Drop candle business!
Thanks to donors like you, Monroe County kids like Alex have access to the Club and all it offers. Thank you for giving!
DAY 5 (December 24) | Jermaine
DAY 5: Jermaine loves to participate in Ferguson Crestmont's Cooking Club. In a recent session, they were making guacamole for the day. He said at the start of the program that he had never tried it before and that there was NO WAY he was going to eat it. While making the guacamole Jermaine worked so well together with his friends to chop the tomatoes and onions and to smash the avocados. While earlier he said he wasn't going to try it, Jermaine decided after all of his hard work and time with his friends that he should something new and eat it! Although (as you might be able to tell by his face) he didn't end up liking the guacamole, with the help of this Club program Jermaine was willing to venture out of his comfort zone to learn and try something new!
Thanks to donors like you, Monroe County kids like Jermaine have access to the Club and all it offers. Thank you for giving!
DAY 6 (December 25) | Grace
DAY 6: Like many Camp Rock campers, Grace began her Camp Rock journey at age 6. Grace always looked up to the staff members at Camp Rock as a kid; she says “Camp staff helped me to overcome obstacles big and small.” Because of her experience as a camper, Grace went on to become a Counselor In Training (CIT) in high school and then a staff member herself! She says “I chose to become a staff member because the staff I had as a camper made a huge difference in my life. They helped me grow, so now I get to make that same impact on kids’ lives in the same way they did for me.”
Now, Grace has been at Camp Rock for 16 whole summers! Her favorite part of Camp Rock is the community that camp creates--not just between staff and campers, but also including parents, families, alumni, and past staff members.
Without donors like you, Grace would not have been able to experience Camp Rock as a camper, or to go on to continue to want to give back to the Club as a staff member.
Thanks to donors like you, Monroe County kids like Grace have access to the Club and all it offers. Thank you for giving!
DAY 7 (December 26) | Cody
DAY 7: Cody is a member that had a hard time choosing and participating in programming. This year, Ellettsville staff worked hard with Cody to see what makes him excited about coming to the Club and why he wants to come back everyday. They talk regularly about being Caring, Productive, Responsible, Respectful & Safe (CPRRS) and putting his best foot forward. In the end, staff discovered that Cody loves to help where he can and to read 1-on-1 with staff members. Staff have been able to make sure that Cody has a reading buddy to connect with on a regular basis, and to adjust the Reading Buddies program for kids like Cody who need that extra push.
Thanks to donors like you, Monroe County kids like Cody have access to the Club and all it offers. Thank you for giving!
DAY 8 (December 27) | Rosie
DAY 8: Rosie is an annual Camp Rock Camper. Rosie used to be a shyer soul; she loved camp, but often could be found reading a book while her peers swam, played games, or sang along at stage time. She and her sister, Alyvia, are generally attached at the hip at camp, doing many activities together. This past summer, with the help of camp staff and her peers in the Owls and Maples groups, Rosie really began to come out of her shell. Rosie still spent tons of time with her sister, but began to branch out to making new connections with others her age. She also began to choose to participate in activities she otherwise would read through, and became quite the swimmer in the lake! Like many Owls and Maples, the younger campers began to look up to her as a cool, fun role model at Camp Rock. Rosie even went on to win Camper of The Week in 2023 for her increased participation and her help with younger campers!
Thanks to donors like you, Monroe County kids like Rosie have access to the Club and all it offers. Thank you for giving!
DAY 9 (December 28) | KK
DAY 9: Kailynn (KK) has been a member at Ferguson Crestmont for five years. In that time, staff have watched them grow in so many ways. KK has become more social and outgoing, as well as emotionally intelligent, not only able to identify and communicate their own emotions, but the emotions of those around them as well. KK enjoys making art, playing with Legos and "just chilling" at the Club, but they say their favorite part of being there is the staff, saying, "They show me kindness. They ask about my day and listen to what I say. They let me be me and it makes me feel safe."
Thanks to donors like you, Monroe County kids like KK have access to the Club and all it offers. Thank you for giving!
DAY 10 (December 29) | Emma
DAY 10: Emma is a usually shy member who likes to observe programs and sit toward the back. During choir club this semester, she was intrigued by the members participating in karaoke. Shockingly, she approached Molly, her staff member, and asked if she was allowed to have a turn. Molly was stoked to see her step out of her shell! She grooved on the microphone in front of the whole program and sang “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”. When she was done, she asked Molly if she was allowed to come back next week. Emma is now very excited to attend choir, and much less shy about participating and sharing her singing with others!
Thanks to donors like you, Monroe County kids like Emma have access to the Club and all it offers. Thank you for giving!
DAY 11 (December 30) | Miya
DAY 11: At the Ellettsville Club, members have the option to grab a snack as soon as they hop off the bus. On one particular day, one of the teens did not feel very well at lunch, so they decided to skip it. They started feeling much better by the time they got to the club, and were feeling very hungry upon arrival. The member asked staff if they could have additional snack, but before staff could even answer, Miya offered to give the hungry teen her snack that she brought from home. The Club works to teach our kids to be caring, and this small act of kindness helped blossom a wonderful friendship between Miya and her hungry peer, as their friendship blossomed within the teen program as the year has progressed.
Thanks to donors like you, Monroe County kids like Miya have access to the Club and all it offers. Thank you for giving!
DAY 12 (December 31) | Hayes
DAY 12: Hayes has been a camper at Camp Rock for the past few summers. This summer, Hayes’s grown-up reached out and asked if he could be in the same group he was last summer, The Saplings. She explained that Hayes was struggling a little bit with school and friends, and that his counselor, Kiara, was so nice and caring last year that camp had truly helped boost his confidence and self esteem.
Hayes rejoined Kiara and The Saplings this summer, and immediately took on a leadership role within his age group. Hayes became a great mentor to younger campers, was always first to ask staff or other campers if they needed help, and remained a great role model for other campers throughout the summer. He even won Camper of The Week for his awesomeness! Camp Rock and the relationship Kiara and Hayes have built have given Hayes the confidence to be himself, to be extra-caring, and to have lots of fun at camp and in his day-to-day life.
Thanks to donors like you, Monroe County kids like Hayes have access to the Club and all it offers. Thank you for giving!
