Summer Programs for Children Have Begun
By PHOTO BY LUIS SNCHEZ SATURNO
Area faith communities have a variety of summer programs designed for children. Contact your faith community for details on the events planned.
Here are some in the area that are taking enrollment:
Muslim camp
The Muslim Youth Camp will be Sunday through June 21 at Dar Al Islam in Abiqui. For more information, visit the Web site at www.youthcamp.daralislam.org.
Outrigger Island
The Rodeo Road Baptist Church will hold its Vacation Bible school from 9 to 11:30 a.m. from June 23 to June 25 at the church, 3405 Verenda Baja. The program is for children 4 years old through sixth grade. The theme this year is “Outrigger Island.” The program is designed for maximum fun for all children who participate. Also, the program is based on Psalm 86:11, so it helps children develop the stability they need to face a world of shifting sands and wavering opinions. For more information and to register, call 473-9467.
Camp Gan Israel
“A Summer of Adventure, A Lifetime of Memories” is for boys and girls from 4 to 12 years old and features swimming, crafts, activities, workshops, art programs and field trips in a friendly Jewish atmosphere with daily lunch and snacks included. The camp will operate from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday from Monday to June 27 at Chabad Jewish Center, 242 W. San Mateo Road. Visit the Web site at www.chabadsantafe.com or send and e-mail to dl@chabadsantafe.com or call 983-2000. The cost for one week is $175, two weeks is $300. A sibling discount is available. Parents guide and registration available.
Veggie Bible School
Zia United Methodist Church has many programs for children and youth:
* Zia Montessori Preschool is starting enrollment for the summer/ fall term for ages 3 to 6 years old. A kindergarten program will begin this fall. Full-time, part-time and extended hours are available. Call 471-0997 to secure a spot. The school has an immediate opening for the director position. Call Zia UMC if you are interested.
* Zia UMC Youth Group meets at 11 a.m. on Sundays. The program includes youth council, river rafting, ice skating and many other activities. Snacks are provided.
* A Veggie-tales — Veggie Bible School — based on The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything will be held July 28 through Aug. 1. Contact the church to register.
The church is at 3368 Governor Miles Road. Call 471-0997.
Meet the teens
At 6 p.m. on July 29, the public is invited to meet the Creativity for Peace campers and young leaders. A screening of the award-winning documentary, Encounter Point, will be followed by a conversation with the young women. The event will be held at the Armory for the Arts Theater, 1050 Old Pecos Trail. Tickets are $15. For more information, visit the Web site at www.creativityforpeace.com.
The teenagers involved in the Creativity for Peace program are young women, ages 15 through 18 years old, from Israel and Palestine of Christian, Muslim and Jewish backgrounds who come to Santa Fe for a peace camp centered on dialogue, artmaking, field trips and social time. The first camp takes place from July 14 to July 31 and the second from Aug. 6 to Aug. 23.
Participants include teenagers from Sderot, a town in southern Israel on the border of Gaza that is attacked daily by Qassam rockets, as well as from Neve Shalom-Wahat al-Salam, where Jews and Palestinians living in Israel choose to live side-by-side.
Power Lab
A Vacation Bible School is being co-sponsored by Santa Mara de la Paz Catholic Community, San Isidro Catholic Church and St. John’s United Methodist Church.
The collaborative effort will feature Power Lab — which provides the perfect solution to summertime boredom. The Power Lab will be offered from 8:30 a.m. to noon from June 23 to June 27. The program will be held at Santa Mara de la Paz Parish Center, 11 College Ave. For more information, visit the Web site at www.smdlp.org.
Children entering kindergarten through those who have completed fifth grade are eligible for the program. The cost is $30 per child.
Call Janet Dennison at 982-5397 for registration information.
Camp Shalom
Camp Shalom 2008 is now enrolling children from 2 to 7 years old. The summer adventure camp will be held on the Temple Beth Shalom grounds. For more information on the summer program, call 982-6888. TBS is at 205 E. Barcelona Road. Visit the Web site at www.sftbs.org or call 982-1376.
Rainbow Trail
Summer Fun for Kids — Rainbow Trail Lutheran Day Camp will be held Monday to Friday at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church, 1601 S. St. Francis Drive. The camp is sponsored by Christ Lutheran Church, St. Bede’s, and Westminster Presbyterian Church. The theme this year is titled “Is God Calling You?”
Activities include Bible study, crafts, music and fellowship for the children. The registration fee is $50. For more information and to register, call Beth Stephens at 983-9461 or 501-3088, or call Gloria Durham at 982-1133 or 501-3315.
Catch the wave
The Vacation Bible School at First Baptist Church will be Monday through Friday at the church, 1605 Old Pecos Trail.
The camp is for children — 4 years old through sixth grade — and is designed the help the children “Live God’s Unshakeable Truth.” This year’s theme is “Catch the Wave at Outriggers Island.”
The camp is free. To register, visit the Web site at www.fbcsantafe.com or call 983-9141.
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