Winter Vacation Zoom Camp Ends 2021 on a High Note

Co-authored by Emily Posner

CUYS strives to provide worthwhile engagement not only after school and on Soccer Saturdays, but also during school vacations. This initiative started in December 2020 and has continued over President’s Weekend, Spring Break and over two separate weeks this summer.

This past winter vacation, our Zoom camp was able to provide 22 children (ages ranging from Kindergarten to 7th grade) with three days of structured and educational fun – including a goody bag delivered to each campers’ home with the needed materials for all of their zoom activities (plus some extra treats!)

On their first day, campers learned how to draw “anime eyes” and sculpted their own fantastical magic model clay creatures using the materials provided by our wonderful art instructor from the Rockdale Art Center, Ms. Veronica Batter.

This was followed by an instructional soccer lesson led by Ms. Jackson and Coach Tamia, who skillfully managed to keep the kids moving even with a screen between them. Campers ended their first day with Ms. Emily, who led a story-time lesson on the importance of setting goals and making plans to achieve those goals, and even had a chance to share what goals they had for themselves.

The second day of activities was kicked off with some major kitchen fun. We want to make sure to thank Golden Blossom Honey who was a generous benefactor in donating their products to ensure the kids could enjoy the sweet treats they made with Chefs Tina, Leslie and Simone.

The kids got to make some adorable and delicious reindeer faces, while also learning tips and tricks for crafting their own healthy and tasty lunches.

Coach Valerie led our second soccer session before having Sifu Fred Grant III, a local qualified Black Sash instructor and owner of Grant’s Kung Fu Academy in Upland, PA, teach an engaging Chinese Kung Fu lesson for the campers. 

We ended the camp with a dance party led by Ms. Jackson and  DJ Bizzy B. Kids danced and did gymnastics to their favorite hits, and even worked some animal-themed charades into the mix! We admit, it was hard to shut down the fun when the chat box was continually lighting up with messages from the kids saying things like they “don’t want to ever leave!” 

Thanks to generous benefactors, we were able to award to the families of every child with perfect attendance at our Zoom camp a generous gift card for sneaker purchases so that they can comfortably continue engaging in a healthy and active lifestyle.

If you are interested in further supporting Chester Upland Youth Soccer’s mission – whether that be through a monetary donation or that of your time and resources, we encourage you to visit Donate — Chester Upland Youth Soccer (cuys.org) for more information on how you can help make a difference in the lives of our CUYS families.

Here’s to a great 2022 for all!