Ferriday churches organize free camp for children
Published 12:00 am Thursday, June 15, 2006
Wednesday, midway through the second week of the six-week stretch of youth summer camps, children participated in soccer camp. The soccer camp runs from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday, is giving most kids a look into something they have not seen before. &8220;We didn&8217;t have a soccer ball before, so we always played basketball,&8221; 10-year-old camp participant Shea Harbor said. &8220;I&8217;ve enjoyed soccer because it&8217;s fun and active. I think I might like soccer the best.&8221; The six weeks of summer camps &8212; organized by several local churches &8212; covers a different theme each week and began last week with art camp. The camps after soccer will cover cooking, pet, outdoor and music camps in an effort to give local children an edge. &8220;We&8217;re trying to orient fun, community service, ethics and friendship to help them grow and become good citizens,&8221; camp coordinator Lynette Tanner said. &8220;It&8217;s been great and we&8217;re hoping to expose these kids to avenues they wouldn&8217;t be taught in public or private schools.&8221; Daniel Owens, All-American Soccer player and now head coach at Hattiesburg&8217;s William Carey College, was at the camp wowing the children Wednesday afternoon. In a volunteer effort introducing soccer drills and rules, Owens juggled then kicked the ball high into the air and down field, sparking camp interest as they gave obvious shows of excitement. &8220;I heard they were starting a league here so I figured this would be a good time to come out and teach the kids about soccer,&8221; Owens said. Wednesday of each week the children complete a service project for the community and Thursday offer a dinner for the parents to show off the skills they have acquired at the camps. This week the children put on a soccer game demonstration for the children taking summer classes at Ferriday Lower Elementary. &8220;I believe this is a great thing for us to do,&8221; 14-year-old camp participant Pam Swafford said. &8220;Before I didn&8217;t know how to play soccer and it&8217;s been a wonderful time and I&8217;ve really enjoyed myself at this week&8217;s camp.&8221;