Fun with a purpose for Fayette youth

May 4—BECKWITH — Participants as fourth-graders in the first Project: Adventure in 2019, Fayette County students Rykard Wood and Isaac Loughrey were helping guide younger students last Thursday in the third installment of the two-day program at Fayette County Park.

Both boys said they enjoyed the program back in 2019 and wanted to do their part to give back to the Fayette fourth- and- fifth-graders participating this week.

Fayette County's program for nearly 1,000 Fayette students in grades 4-5 unfolded on Thursday and Friday of last week. Adventure: Fayette County is a program of the Fayette Prevention Coalition. For more on Adventure: Fayette County and its efforts, visit https://www.adventurefayette.org/.

Sue Wood, program director for drug-free communities via a grant involving the Fayette Prevention Coalition, said Project: Adventure is a worthwhile program for the county's students.

"I think we've had positive progress," said Wood. "Some of our presenters are a little different, but the main ones are still here. We still have Coda, we still have Camp Royal. The list of camps available for the kids over the summer has expanded.

"The purpose of this event is to show our kids what is available to them in Fayette County, and that's not just this field trip," she added. "It's something that they can continue over the summer."

Wood explained that school teachers sent flyers home to parents to let them know what activities are available for their children.

"The whole purpose is we want to answer 'there's nothing to do here' and to show them what there is to do, because we know that kids that are involved in an organized activity with a caring adult are three times less likely to get involved in substance abuse," Wood said. "We have 168 volunteers. That includes our wonderful presenters, that includes cooperation with the Fayette Institute of Technology and their media careers in education and tourism class."

Last week marked the third installment of the program, as 2020 and 2021 were canceled due to Covid-19.

"The great thing that I'm looking forward to (is that) some of our adventure guides were here when they were in fourth grade (in 2019)," she added.

That included Rykard Wood, an eighth-grader at Midland Trail High, and Loughrey, an eighth-grader at Oak Hill Middle School.

Wood recalls "having overall a great time" in 2019. "Paddle boards was one of my favorite things to do, and still is. The reason I do paddle boarding is because of this. And it (the program) allowed me to do more things I hadn't thought I'd have an interest in."

Wood said the paddle boarding in 2019 was his very first time trying the activity. "I was nervous with falling in the water. I was on my knees almost the entire time. It was tons of fun.

"Having fun is definitely a part of this that I remember a ton, but you can learn tons of new things, new skills and instruments and stuff like that."

What was his advice to this year's class? "Have fun, enjoy what you're doing (and learn). It's a great program overall. I love it."

Loughrey said one of the highlights of his past participation was being told to take his time standing up on the paddle board at the pond. "I was the first one to stand up, and now I'm the poster child for that," he said of undertaking the activity for the first time. It was "a lot of fun."

"I think they'll definitely get some life lessons out of this, too," Loughrey continued. Mentioning specifically the Coda Mountain Academy and its musical offerings, he said, "You can get into a lot of things here."

Why is he back in 2023? "Just all the experiences that I got, I get to see kids have fun and help them out with stuff that maybe I didn't understand when I was here. I think it's a good field trip for all of the kids."

"This year is only our third year and our second consecutive because of Covid," said Teresa Workman, the chair of Adventure: Fayette County. "We have new participants this year. The Summit was able to join us, and the Fayette Theater drama camp and Honeysuckle Hill Nature Conservancy Center. We have more student volunteers. The FIT media class is back for their second year, and they do videos and interviews with the students and the presenters, and we use those videos for next year to give people an idea of what to expect."

The FIT team members also design the camp T-shirts and work on the passport and the camp website.

"So we're really excited about that, that we get to involve the oldest students as well as the fourth and fifth grade," Workman said.

The camp exposes the students to numerous activities, Workman said. "We have children who do not know this park is here until they come. We have ones that have never had the opportunity to go fishing, certainly never been in a kayak or standup paddle board."

She said camp officials have been told by parents that their family now has new hobbies as a result of the children's participation. "It gives the students a chance to experience new things, and we hope that they will then continue in these activities in the future."

"We always have surprises, but we have a great team, the best team I have ever worked with," Workman added.

She mentioned more than 160 volunteers, plus about 50 that showed up who weren't on the pre-registration list. "And they come out here and give their time, and in a lot of cases let us use their equipment, they give us food. It's amazing."

Katie Johnson, prevention coordinator with the ICE (Integrated Community Engagement) Collaborative, helped oversee the popular activities at the pond during the two-day event.

"This is a collaboration of all community youth-serving organizations and volunteers," said Johnson. "This year we have 170 volunteers, and everybody comes and does their thing and shows what they have to offer."

"We also have things like basketball and things you can do in the backyard, and the same with the paddle sports," Johnson said.

"This is something that is really important in our community, and kids need to be exposed to it and be aware that this is something that they can do," Johnson said. "With the (ICE) collaborative, our goal is to delay the initiation of substance abuse, and we know that if kids feel connected to people and activities that are meaningful to them, they are less likely to pursue risky things that might fill a need that connection or recreation or art also fill."

Of the camp itself, she added, "It's a lot of work to organize and plan and pull partners together. We're emailing and texting and calling each other all hours of the day, and we work really hard as a group. But it's so fun. Once the day of the event, the work is over and it's time to enjoy it."

"I think that in Fayette County and all of West Virginia, we really need to lean into our outdoor resources," Johnson concluded. "We know that exercise and getting outside are both really, really good for mental health, and we can provide this to our kids. There's kind of a mental health crisis going on in the nation and in our world right now amongst our young people, so if we can connect them to others, to adults that are happy to help, and to nature and activities, I think we can stay on the road to a positive future."

Mike Bone, founder of Oak Hill-based Warm Hands from Warm Hearts, has been one of the volunteer presenters for the adventure program over the years.

"One of the things we need to do with our kids in our community is we need to teach them about outdoor adventures and other things that are available to them through the summer, through the school year," said Bone. "Of course, we love to promote our food program so kids know there is a place to get food.

"It's about fellowship. You have such a diverse group of kids from all around the county, and they get to meet each other.

"For me, it's really interesting," he added. "I surround myself with people who want to volunteer with me that want to have a good time.

"And, quite honestly when the day of the event comes, I get to be a kid with the kids. That's probably the most important thing, because they need to see adults having fun."

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While students in grades 4 and 5 were the focus of the county park fun last week, final preparations are being made for the first Camp SOAR at the park this summer.

According to Shelby Holt, Camp SOAR (Summer Outdoor Arts and Recreation) director, the day camp will be offered from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays from June 21 to July 28 at Fayette County Park for Fayette County children ages 9-12.

The program is funded by the Fayette County Family Resource Network and Fayette County.

"We've got some transportation set up," Holt said. "We're going to be able to pick up students from the Oak Hill school complex or Valley PK-8. We'll bring them to the park where we'll do different outdoor recreation, environmental education, art. We've got a creation station, and we're also going to have a relaxation station."

All activities will occur at the park with the exception of a Thursday trip offsite.

"Thursdays will feature a field trip to one of the outfitters in the area, where we'll do things like climbing, mountain biking, standup paddle board, zip lining and things like that," Holt said.

"It's six weeks, and campers can sign up one week at a time or for multiple weeks," Holt added.

More information can be obtained on the web page on the Fayette FRN site, fayettefrn.com/camp-soar.

There is a registration fee, and scholarships are available to those in need of financial assistance, according to the webpage.

"I'm excited to develop the program and see how it can grow in the future," said Holt.

About last week's events, she said, "It is very exciting to see all of these kids out here socializing together and getting a chance to try new things, and that's the same we want to offer for Camp SOAR."

For more information, call Holt at 304-574-1111 or email her at shelbyholt.soar@gmail.com.

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