Deed #3: Establishing a camp and foundation that assist foster youth

In August 2011, two people with past experiences with the foster care system came together with an idea to establish a foundation and camp that would provide a community for foster care youth and assist them with their journey through the system. In January 2012, I became the fourth person to join what would become The Constellation Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides programming, mentoring and scholarship-based assistance to foster care youth in the state of Texas. Together, we established a camp that serves the purpose of bringing together foster care youth, alumni, and advocates from throughout Texas (and the nation).

The inaugural Camp Constellation was held May 4-5, 2012 in Burton, Texas. We brought out foster care alumni and youth for two days of campfires, ropes course, basketball, fishing and canoeing. We celebrated the strength of every child who goes through the foster care system through a Rock-Stick ceremony, where the foster care alumni shared their stories alongside their hopes for the campers. The stick represented the fears and negative memories of the alumni, and the rock represented their hopes. When thrown into a fire, the stick burned while the rock remained.

Balloon Release

To close out our weekend, we participated in a balloon release, where each camper and counselor tied his/her hope for the future onto a balloon. Simultaneously, we all released our balloons and watched them float away. Every person who was out at camp over the weekend remarked on how remarkable it was that 48 hours could bring about a life-changing experience. We came together as a community and support unit for those in foster care and those still suffering from their experiences. As foster youth are shuffled from foster home to foster home, they often feel alone in their experiences. The weekend at Camp Constellation showed everyone that they are not alone in their journey, but rather that they have an entire camp family who cares about them tremendously and will always be there for them.

If you would like to become involved with Camp Constellation, I invite you to visit our website (www.campconstellation.org) and fill out an inquiry form.