DAVENPORT, Iowa— Every summer, thousands of children in our communities are at risk for poverty and learning loss.
The Downtown Davenport YMCA works to combat those issues by building stronger communities though summer programs.
“We are about making sure every single child in our community has an opportunity to be successful,” says Deb Gustafson, Executive Director of Child Care and Family Services.
Gustafson is just one of many helping hands at the Downtown Davenport YMCA, who serve over 1,000 children in the Quad Cities.
Thanks to partnerships with the Davenport School District and Bechtel grand funding, the Summer Fun Club program strengthens the community through one program at a time.
“There are no boundaries when it comes to the type of children that are in our program. We mimic our community.
Teachers from all over the Quad Cities create a summer curriculum through the program to keep kids learning and prepare them for the upcoming school year.
“The activities are really fun. We catch bugs and make a project about the bugs, it's cool,” says Carter Goodwin, who has been coming to the YMCA for 6 years.
Gustafson says everyone is welcome in the program. “No one is different from each other, we are all special and important,” added Gustafson.
The summer fun club is open every summer from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. To learn more about other programs offered at the YMCA, click here.