No-Cost, Low-Cost Summer Activity Options

Friends,

You've often heard me talk about the importance of intervening in the lives of young people. Now that school is out, that's even more important.

So this morning, I called a news conference to publicize what we’re doing this summer to make our programming and events as wide-reaching and meaningful as possible. I wanted to make sure you knew about these activities, too, so I’m sending this special email.

Let’s start with our community centers. We’ll be hosting summer camps all season long, but that’s not all of what we’re doing. Our community centers will be open and accommodating, and thanks to an initiative I’ve been working on with Interim Police Director Michael Rallings, they will be safe places. The police officers who had been in our schools are being reassigned to community centers this summer to ensure safety.

As for our summer camps, there are still slots available. For $162, children can enjoy seven weeks of recreation, enrichment and field trips.

But we don’t want that cost to be a barrier. We’re asking the public to adopt campers so that we can give our youth this opportunity regardless of their ability to pay. Already, people have stepped up. Central Defense Security has donated $10,000. The Daniel Law Firm has raised $18,000 -- including two new sponsors of 25 campers each. If you’d like to adopt a camper, please contact our parks administration at 636-4203 or parksinfo@memphistn.gov.

You're probably well aware that we have our MAP and MPLOY programming, which will include nearly 1,500 young people this year. But we know that there’s a cap on the number of young people who are granted that opportunity. With the cooperation of the White House and my special assistant for youth, Ike Griffith, we’re looking forward to finding ways to grow those opportunities in future summers. Ike is also deeply involved in a pilot program called Operation Restart, which will work with truant youth; another pilot program in our summer camps that’s working to increase literacy and reduce the ‘summer slide’; and the Memphis Youth City Council.

Our libraries are also great places for young people. The Explore Memphis program has fun programs, meaningful classes, free books and all sorts of enrichment opportunities. That’s actually starting today at our libraries.

In addition, our parks division has a handful of other great opportunities for our young people. Beyond our camps, they have a summer meals program at 25 parks; free greens fees for those 17 and under at our golf courses; free swim lessons at Ed Rice, Lester, Westwood, Willow, Bickford & Hickory Hill pools; and there's even a disc golf course where Libertyland once was at the Fairgrounds. And yes, our pools will open June 11.

Now, I know that’s a lot. Fortunately, our communications office gathered all of this and more in one place. Its “Summer in Memphis” guide details the many free and low-cost programs that are available to our youth. The guide will be available at community centers and libraries next week but is already live on our website. And we’ll be sharing more activities as we learn of them.

I hope you take advantage of all we offer. And if you don’t have a young person in your home, I hope you’ll forward this to someone who does.

Yours,