Last week the was the first week of Warwick Area Migrant Committee Dulce Esperanza Summer Enrichment Program for the 2020 summer session. Though we have had to adjust how the program is delivered due the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic and the guidelines set by New York State for programs such as ours in response to that pandemic, our volunteers and staff have done an amazing job in modifying the program to both meet these safety guidelines, as well as, continue to provide top notch educational enrichment to all the students enrolled in the program.
This year, in recognition of the financial challenges many families are facing during the pandemic, the Summer Enrichment Program enrollment fee has been reduced to free for every student attending the program. The WAMC continues to maintain its commitment to the children of migrant farm workers throughout our area even if it means bringing the program to their migrant farm camps and housing complexes located throughout the many agriculture and farming communities of Southern Orange County New York. We have 40 households enrolled in the program this year. Children range in age from preschool to high school.
Though the Summer Enrichment Program may look different this year because of safety measures needed to keep staff and students safe, you will see in the photo gallery below that the high standard of educational enrichment opportunities offered to the children in the program remains the same. The students’ parents have been key in making sure we can bring the Summer Enrichment Program to them and we appreciate their continued educational partnership with us, as well as, their flexibility in making sure the children can participate in the program albeit through modifications.
Our program is funded wholly through private donations by both businesses and individual sponsors. This year in particular we have seen a tremendous response from the Warwick Valley Community, as well as, the surrounding communities throughout Orange and Sussex Counties. We even got donations from other states both far and near. We appreciate your continued financial support of our programs, as well as, your volunteer work and donations. Regardless of where you are or how much you give– every dollar goes to making children’s lives better through educational enrichment. We remain committed to being good stewards of your donations and making sure every cent goes back to meeting the best standards of educational enrichment for the children. Without your help there is no way we could make this program happen this year especially and we know the children are all the more grateful for having it.
We this past week also distributed supplies donated through our Amazon Wishlist to the 40 households in our program. This was pleasant surprise for the children. These supplies included educational material and other items that help the children continue to learn during the summertime.
Thank you again to all our supporters, the local community, our donors, the volunteers and staff at the WAMC, and to the parents in the migrant farm worker community. Through our unique and powerful cooperative efforts you enable the WAMC to deliver high quality educational enrichment to children in need who would otherwise go without– for this you should be proud of being part of this life changing program and we appreciate you being there for these children in these continued challenging times.
In addition to the Summer Enrichment program, we continue to distribute 500 meals each week to migrant farm workers and their families through our Pandemic Response Program.
If you wish to make a donation to the WAMC you can do so online safely here.
