WNC Looks to Make Summer Camp Multicultural

The Westfield Neighborhood Council is throwing open the doors to their summer camp and welcoming residents from all over Westfield to attend in August.

WNC officials have announced that the Cacciola based non-profit is looking to diversify the annual summer camp to children from around town this August, including the traditional neighborhood base.

"We want to make it a multicultural thing this year, where kids come from all over town," WNC board member Mary Withers said.

Withers said the camp will continue with traditional programs based on both education and recreation, along with field trips during the course of the summer. The camp has been operating since the beginning of July and will continue through the start of the school year at the end of August.

Withers said the camp operates from Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., based out of the WNC headquarters on Cacciola Place. Mondays are spent at the Memorial Pool. Parents can register their children for a one week session during the August weeks. The cost is $25 a week.

Campers split their time between educational programs and recreational programs with many of the educational programs geared towards fun. Withers said several field trips are being planned for the August weeks, with parents needing to pay extra for the trips.

Withers said this is part of the neighborhood council's efforts to reach out to the entire Westfield community. She noted the WNC is planning more joint efforts with the Westfield Y and the Westfield Community Center.

"The reason we're doing this is to have some diversity," she said. "The kids have been from this area and we want to be a multicultural center."