The Salvation Army

SALISBURY — Even though there is still a chill in the air and a few snowflakes falling, it is springtime. That means the Salvation Army is getting the pool and cabins, ball fields and classrooms ready for crafts and fun and to change the life for the better of children at Camp Walter Johnson in Davidson County.

These kids — along with a lot of fun — will be given three meals and a snack a day and shower facilities.

They will learn how to be good citizens and interact with kids their own age from across North Carolina and South Carolina from all walks of life. About 60 kids will be sent this year to the one-week camps and another six to conservatory music camp. The music camp takes children with no music training to advanced training, and they intensely study music and performing arts for six weeks during the summer.

The music camp kids also take part in the fun activities at camp and take several outings to areas of interest in North Carolina and South Carolina. At the end of the conservatory, they have a graduation that family and friends can attend and a showcase of the talents they worked on all summer.

Several kids live in the neighborhood of the Salisbury Salvation Army, and they are at the corps every day — usually playing basketball on the court at the corps, building with other area children and, through the drop-in center, coming to have dinner two nights a week.

Their summer will be spent right here in the corps neighborhood where there were more than five fatal shootings last summer. We can change that by sending them to camp. We have children who live from relative to relative because of their parents’ economic situation or just plain bad choices. When they’re at camp, they don’t worry about if they are going to eat — they know that is going to happen three times a day. They are concerned with winning table inspection at the meals to earn prizes for their cabins.

The music camp costs the Salisbury corps about $1,000 per child.

The Salvation Army needs $5,000 to cover the cost of camp this year. If more is raised, the money will be used to help with school uniforms for families in need in Rowan County.

For information on sending a kid to camp or how to help send kids to camp, email Capt. NaKIsha Carr, associate corps officer for the Salisbury Corps, at nakisha.carr@uss.salvationarmy.org.

The Salvation Army is United Way partner agency.