CARENCRO, La. — At Carencro Middle School, local kids had the opportunity to learn life skills and meet their community, all while having a super fun summer.
"Over 40 years, this program has been going on, and it takes a community to keep this going," said David Anderson, Chief of Police for Carencro Police Department.
At the Carencro Summer Recreation Program, local kids had tons of fun playing sports and games and swimming all summer long, but they were also given the chance to learn from members of their community.
"They learned about the election process, how to play chess. They visited the police department, the fire department," said Charlotte Clavier, the mayor of Carencro. "We had one of our council members, Antoine Babineaux, teach them how to check the oil in their car and how to check tires. We had Mr. Eddie Bonnet came and taught the kids about truck driving and how to run a weed eater. You know, just a lot of life skills came out of this."
Life skills and a chance to foster an early connection with their city officials through mentorship, which, according to Anderson, could prevent run-ins down the road.
"When we have trouble with a kid, it's a kid who is not involved with their community. They're not involved in school activities, but when they are, your chances of them being involved in criminal activity goes way down," Anderson said.
Plus, involvement with a program like this can bring peace of mind to parents, according to Anderson.
"Knowing that their kids are here doing something, and they have supervision—good supervision—and the fact that they're getting mentored, they're having fun, they're wanting to come back every day. I mean, what better peace of mind you can give a parent than that for $20 a year," Anderson said.
The city of Carencro helps to fund the program each year, so it costs the parents $20 per child for a t-shirt, plus eight weeks of supervision, activities, field trips, breakfasts and lunches.
The program runs Monday through Friday for the eight weeks of summer, but does not include holidays.
If you have questions about the program or just want a number to keep on hand for next year's camp, you can get in contact with program organizers at this number: 337-501-7919.
