Urban Promise

May 2010

All Camps Day was awesome! All three of our AfterSchool Program sites came together at Trout Lake Park for a fun filled day of competition, activities and games. We started off with a Camp Cheer competition and ended the day with a giant game of Capture the Flag - with many goofy, messy activities in between. The kids were very enthusiastic towards one another, the Interns were good sports, the Site Directors motivated their camps really well, and other staff were supportive by helping with set-up and clean up!

One interesting aspect of the event was how the Camp Songs/Cheers came together. Usually, it is a song the kids at camp know, but the words are changed by the Site Director(s) to make them original and unique for their own camp. Points are awarded for creativity, camp participation, and enthusiasm. The preparation for All Camps Day begins a few weeks before the actual event takes place, and the song chosen is usually kept secret until the big day arrives. This year, however, word ‘got out’ at the office that Camp Peace and Camp Hope were going to use the same song, “Wavin’ Flag” by K’naan. There was great anticipation of what would happen on the event day because of this situation. There were concerns kids would be discouraged and be upset because their song was not original. However, when it was time to sing the Camp cheers, the kids did such a good job cheering and encouraging one another! Regardless of the fact that Camp Hope and Camp Peace had the same song, the children from all our camps were cheering for each other, clapping their encouragement, and being kind to one another! Each camp displayed good sportsmanship, positive attitudes, and encouragement for one another in a way that exemplified the purpose behind All Camps Day. Good job Everyone!

In the end, Camp Peace came away the victor - winning the coveted All Camps Day Plaque and free Slurpees for all the kids and leaders.

To really get a good understanding of the fun way we wrapped up our year - you need to check out the photo album! Photos > Special Events > All Camps Day

April 2010

Camp Peace, Camp Grace, and Camp Hope hosted an Easter Dinner for the kids, youth and families in their program. The cooking started earlier in the afternoon with the help of two WorkGroups who were here with U.P.V. on those days, and various staff members.  The buffet of food consisted of ham, pork roast, chicken, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, salads, breads and buns, corn, sweet potato fries, and various dishes brought by the Camp Hope families.  Let’s not forget the delicious desserts that were donated by the families!  Everyone enjoyed good food-some even took a plate home!!

This year Rachel, at Camp Hope, entertained her group with a magic show!  She even tricked Miss Vera!  Camp Peace played “Run, Run come on Run” where some energetic parents did cartwheels to gain some extra points for their team!  Camp Grace was packed with so many families and friends enjoying a meal together! What a great community atmosphere.

Thanks again to Ryan and his team from Eaglemont Christian Church (Beaumont, AB) and Andy and Jenny Moffat from Olds First Baptist (Olds, Alberta).  Your help was greatly appreciated throughout the week that you were here.

March 2010

Each Spring Break we take kids on trips around the Lower Mainland. We took three seperate trips - a day trip with our Grade 1s & 2s, a sleepover with our Grade 3s & 4s and a 2-day, 1-night event with our Grade 5s, 6s & 7s. Read on for a peek into this year's Spring Break Adventures! You can also check out photo albums for all three trips in Photos > Special Events.

Grade 1 & 2 Spring Break Trip

Some of my favorite moments from our week of spring break trips were on Wednesday, with the Grade 1 & 2 kids. We started our day off at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre and went to a show called “Little Dippers”, in which the children learned about stars and constellations. One boy, in particular, was especially excited to answer questions, and offer some of his own questions and comments, revealing his knowledge of the subject. At one point the man doing the show told him he should be an astronomer when he grows up! After the show, we had some time to check out the displays in the space center and do fun things like pose in an astronaut suit, or try to pick up a surprisingly heavy rock, which was actually a meteorite.

Next, we headed to North Vancouver to Maplewood Farm. Here, the kids got to see and interact with many farm animals. They loved feeding carrots to the rabbits, and feeding bird seed to the chickens that freely walked around the farm. Other highlights were seeing a Jersey cow get milked, and going in the goat pen. We ended our day with ice cream sundaes from McDonalds and play time at New Brighton Park. It was a great trip, and it’s always a lot of fun when kids from all three camps interact and have fun together.

~ Jenny Toews, Camp Peace Director

Grade 3 & 4 Spring Break Trip

This year our Grade 3 & 4trip was based mainly in the Richmond area. The kids were dropped off by their parents at 12pm at the UrbanPromise house. The living room filled with excitement as the kids got to know each other and asked the leaders every question they could think of about the trip we were going on. Once everyone had arrived, we left for Planet Lazer. This fun and active game really kicked off the trip very well.

After Lazer tag we dashed over to Watermania swimming pool and had tons of fun surfing the waves and splashing in the many sprinklers and waterfalls. The two huge water slides were the biggest hit with all the strong swimmers. Then, we went for dinner at Boston Pizza where the kids got to choose their meal from a bunch of tasty options. The restaurant was kind enough to put on the movie Kung Fu Panda on the TV’s around our table for the kids to watch while they ate.  As our first day together was coming to an end we headed off to Richmond Chinese Evangelical Free Church where we set up our sleeping bags and watched the movie Home Alone while sipping hot chocolate.

The next morning we woke up at 8am and had a delicious breakfast of bagels with cream cheese, assorted muffins, hot Chocolate and orange juice.  After we were all packed up, we left the church around 10am and got back to the UrbanPromise House in Vancouver by 10:30 for the parents to pick their kids up. It was a great trip that the kids enjoyed a lot.

~Tanya Tam, Camp Grace Director

Grade 5, 6 & 7 Spring Break Trip

During spring break, we took kids from grades 5 to 7 on a two-day trip to Abbotsford and New Westminster. We participated in many fun activities within those two days, which include swimming at the wave pool of Matsqui Recreation Center, playing games at Central Heights Church, watching a movie and sleeping over at New Life Church, playing mini-golf and going go-karting at Castle Fun Park, and playing laser-tag at Planet Lazer. In the midst of all these activities, we also had Bible time, during which we had a lot of fun acting out the miracles Jesus performed in the Bible.

Throughout the entire trip, the kids were all very cooperative and were willing to help out with making breakfast, making lunch, and cleaning up. All in all, it was to really great to hang out with the kids outside of camp time and it was really neat to see the kids from Camp Peace, Grace, and Hope getting a chance to mingle with each other.

~ Vivian Chu, Camp Grace Intern

February 2010

Spelling Bee - S P E L L I N G B E E - Spelling Bee!

On February 9th we had a very fun Spelling Bee. With parents in the audience, and the other grades watching, the Grades 1’s began. Each contestant had a chance to spell their name, and then spell five words.For some of our youngest contestants it was their first time “on stage.” They all did an awesome job and, if any had a hint of stage fright, you could not tell!

When Grade One was complete, the participants from each grade went up and took their turn. It functioned very much like a Spelling Bee would. Each person has chance to spell the word given to them, and they do their best to spell it correctly. However, mistakes are made every now and then. In that case, Grade Two to Seven had a “Second Chance” token to use. If a word was misspelled or there was a mistake, they could hand in their token to be allowed back in. After each grade was complete, everyone participating had the option of choosing one book from a variety available, as well as their certificate!

Thanks to the generous donation of books from individual donors and Richmond Chinese Alliance Church. For those who placed first, second and third they were awarded with a trophy engraved with their name on it. Overall, the confidence and effort of each child participating was exciting to see! All the kids spelled to the best of their ability. Thank you to all the parents, StreetLeaders and Staff who helped the kids practise their spelling words prior to the Spelling Bee. Congratulations to each child for doing their best!

You can see photos of some of the contestants and all of the winners at Photos > Special Events > Spelling Bee.

January 2010

Spelling Bee

Tuesday, February 9th, is the Spelling Bee. Camp Grace (which is located at: Grandview Calvary Baptist-1803 E. 1st Avenue, Vancouver) will be hosting. This event takes place from 4-5:30pm. Come join us and cheer on the children who are participating by being part of the audience! If you are in need of more information regarding this event, please speak to your Camp Director, or email Sarah with any questions you may have. We look forward to seeing you there!

December 2009

The Christmas dinners this year went very well. Each camp had a great group of volunteers and cooks who made the evenings so enjoyable. The food was delicious and it was great seeing families connect with one another around their table. The various programs at each site were entertaining and had everyone interacting with one another. Thank you to everyone who took time out of their busy holiday schedule to be part of the UP Christmas Dinners this year. Merry Christmas!

Camp Peace:
This year members of Daina’s (Site Director) church, Strathacona Vineyard, were able to assist Camp Peace in cooking, serving and cleaning. Various friends of Sarah (MD) came to help as well. It was Kurtis’ (Site Director) last dinner as he will not be returning to UPV after the holidays. It was great to have the opportunity to introduce Jenny Toews who will be co-directing with Daina in the New Year, as well as Peter, who is the current Intern. The program included “Happy Birthday” for a few children who were celebrating their birthdays in December, as well as a lively game of “Bring Me.” Thank you to the families for bringing the delicious desserts that were greatly enjoyed by all.

Camp Hope:
This year Camp Hope had the assistance of Living Hope Fellowship. The various families from that church, and other individuals, worked so well together. The food was prepared very efficiently and Camp Hope was well decorated in no time at all! As everyone arrived, dinner was served and the food was very tasty. During the program the children learned how to make snow, (similar to that used in movies)! This activity was lead by one of the members of Living Hope. Greta (Site Director) and Vera (Intern) gave everyone the chance to win various prizes, but only if their number was called! It was a fun and enjoyable evening together!

Camp Grace:
Camp Grace was packed on Tuesday, December 15th when they hosted their Christmas Dinner. Jenny’s (Site Director) mom and Vivian’s (Intern) mom and grandma came as “head chefs.” Together they worked at coordinating the other volunteers from Vivian’s church, Richmond Chinese Evangelical Free Church, and Hillside Christian Fellowship (approx. 22 people in all!). The evening began when Vivian asked each table to fill in “Human Bingo” to determine who was first to eat! After the dinner portion, the program was next. The games were lead by Tanya (Site Director), Jenny and Vivian and there were prizes for everyone who participated, including the parents! It was a really fun evening together!

November 2009

On Thursday afternoon (Oct 29th), Camp Peace was full of excitement for the annual Harvest Carnival. Camp Hope arrived promptly and Camp Grace came well dressed up. Together the three camps enjoyed an afternoon of fun, games, and prizes. The hour went quickly as the kids participated in games such as: “Feed the Animals,” “Cotton Ball Relay,” “Ping Pong Toss,” “Penny Pitch,” and “Gourd Bowling.” Aiden had a messy face after eating a donut off a string! Thomas blew the leaf across the table as fast as he could during “Leaf Blowers.” Dax was the lucky winner of the jar of jelly beans with his guess of 360, (there were 387 in the jar). He snuck in his guess just as his camp was going out the door! The costumes were great – there was a tiger, an angel, an 80’s aerobic instructor, a cowboy, a queen, a pumpkin, Spiderman, a power ranger, a tiger and more! We know they, along with all the other kids, had a good time. Everyone went home with goodie bag full of treats and prizes! A special thanks to the WorkGroup from VanGuard College(Edmonton) who helped us out and to the StreetLeaders who helped the games go smoothly! You can see some photos in Photos>Special Events.

Fall 2009 - Coming Events

OCTOBER: THANKSGIVING DINNERS: Come and join us for Thanksgiving dinner! Dinners will be hosted from 6:00-8:00pm at Camp Grace on Tuesday, October 6th and Camp Peace on Tuesday, October 6th. Camp Hope will have their dinner on Wednesday, October 7th from 5:30-7:30pm. We currently need help for our Camp Hope Dinner. Please email Greta or Sarah if you are able to help out.

UP DESSERT NIGHT CELEBRATION: Mark your calendars for October 24th. Our annual dessert night fundraiser is less than a month away. You are welcome to attend. Please come and spend an evening with us at Broadway Church from 6:30-9:30pm. Please RSVP by calling the office, 604 709 9177 or send an email to Cheryl. We look forward to seeing you there.

OCTOBER: HARVEST CARNIVAL: This year Daina and Kurtis are working together to plan the annual Harvest Carnival. Every year all UP camps come together and the kids have a fun afternoon of games, prizes and a chance to see friends from other camps!! This year Camp Peace will host our Harvest Carnival on OCTOBER 29th from 4:00-5:15.

FALL: TALENT SHOW: The kids in our camps have many talents: singing, dancing, juggling, piano playing (to name a few!). This fall the kids will have a chance to "show off" their skills in a talent show. Camp Peace and Camp Grace will come together for a talent show this coming fall. We will let you know the exact date and time!

May 2009

All Camps Day

May 20th marked our second annual All Camps Day. The weather was perfect and each camp arrived promptly to begin our camp versus camp afternoon! We started off with the camp cheers. They were creative and each camp sang their hearts out.

Then the games began! Each grade competed in a game. The games for grades one to five included eating gummy worms out of whipping cream, filling up water buckets with only a sponge, eating Kool-Aid out of the package with only two fingers, running around the park finding items for “Bring Me,” and hopping around their group with their feet tied together. Our older kids helped the Interns eat mashed bananas and pudding, except the kids were blindfolded and did not always have the best aim!

After the games were complete Capture the Flag started. Camp Peace was up against both Camp Hope and Camp Grace. It was a fast game and after twenty minutes Camp Peace had won the Capture the Flag game. However when all the points were added Camp Hope was the winner! They were given the “Award of Honour” and their camp will receive Slurpees as their prize!

There was great participation and sportsmanship by all camps and a fun afternoon! Thank you to the StreetLeaders, Interns, kids, and staff who made the afternoon a success for everyone!

You can check our photos from the event in Photos > Special Events > All Camps Day.

You can also enjoy a video from the event. Thanks to Mark for putting it together!

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Fun Run

UrbanPromise had their Annual Fun Run on May 2, 2009. It was a HUGE success. 1,038 laps were walked by various participants (dogs included!) in a record three and a half hours. There was a great turn out by many supporters of UrbanPromise. Those who participated included corporate sponsors, including Pam Gomez and her crew from Scotia Bank, board members and their families, camp kids and their families (some with bikes to make the laps go faster!), staff with their family and friends, Interns and their friends and families, StreetLeaders and other kind individuals who happened to be at the lake that day and were willing and delighted to “walk for a cause.” Thank you to everyone who came out this year and helped to make it a wonderful and successful fundraising event for UrbanPromise.

You can check our photos from the event in Photos > Special Events > Fun Run.

April 2009

Every year during Spring Break we take children from each of our AfterSchool Program sites on fun-filled Spring Break trips. Since space is limited, children earn their spot on the trips through hard work, improved effort, positive behavior and participating in extra activities such as writing essays. Here's what we did this year!

Spring Break Trip - Grades 1-4

Our rainy Wednesday trip started out with kids piling into the UrbanPromise house. To entertain themselves before we left, they spun each other on swivel chairs while we waited to pack up the vans. Our first destination was the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Aldergrove. Because of the rain, we practically had the whole place to ourselves. The kids saw lions, giraffes, snakes, and even a jaguar. We also got to take a ride on the beloved train which took us around the entire zoo and even through a small tunnel.

After a quick sandwich lunch at the zoo, we hopped back into the vans to drive to a nearby bowling alley. The kids had an awesome time of 5 pin bowling - some of them had never been bowling before! Andrea taught one boy how to bowl for the first time, and he was thrilled when he got his first strike. After the bowling alley we headed for the skating rink, our last activity of the day. After lacing up many, many skates, we hit the ice. The kids were sliding all over, and many took advantage of the bars to help them stay upright. One grade 1 child had never been skating before, but he persevered on the ice the whole day and enjoyed being pushed around by leaders.

After skating we had a nice sit-down dinner at Boston Pizza and then headed back on the road towards the UP house. After our busy day, many kids fell asleep in the vans on the way back; others wished for traffic jams so the trip would last longer. It was a successful trip and we are guessing that everyone slept well that night after such a busy day!

Spring Break Trip - Grades 5-7

On the first day of the grade 5-7 Spring Break Trip, we started our day even before we were supposed to. Some children were so excited; they arrived half an hour early at 8:30 AM with their packed bags. We finally headed out to the valley around 9:30 AM. Our first stop was to have a packed lunch at Cottonwood Mall in Chilliwack. We played a few get to know you games, ate our lunches and then prepared for our Mall Scavenger hunt. We had planned a very low-key, well supervised scavenger hunt. However, even though the children were not causing any problems, the mall staff asked us to discontinue it! So we let the kids shop for a little while. They purchased a few souvenirs for themselves or their family with their spending money.

Next on the schedule was swimming at Chilliwack Landing Liesure Centre. We had a great time there playing in the waves and whirlpools. Then we went to the home of our Agassiz host, the VanderVeen’s, and got assigned our bedrooms. Our interns, Jenny and Jay, informed the children of their cooking and cleaning assignments and some started making spaghetti immediately. We visited the Wikkerink farm, got to feed the cows, watch the cows being milked, let the calves suck on our fingers and even meet one calf who had just been born that day! Some children decided on a favourite cow and wanted to know not just the number in its ear but also its name from the registration book—they took it very seriously?.

That evening Jenny lead devotions and then we played a few games outside before settling inside for a movie and popcorn. The movie kept only a few children’s attention throughout while the rest started a rousing game of foosball and/or played in their bedrooms. Lights out came at 11 PM and several reminders to be quiet followed for at least the next hour until it was more or less quiet.

Day two of the trip began with a pancake breakfast prepared by Jenny and a few of the kids. After we wolfed those down we played a game of Animal Food Chain in the forest behind the house. In case you aren't familiar with this game, the object is to not get eaten by an animal that is higher up on the food chain than you. For example, I was a snake, which meant I could eat chickens and rabbits but not bears or poachers.

The highlight of the trip was probably paintball. All the kids (and leaders) we super excited to play, but those who hadn't played before were a bit wary of how much it would hurt. But adrenaline got the better of everyone and pretty soon we were giving it all we could! After the games, we all took pride in showing off out bruises.

On our way home, we passed though a sudden and severe rain/wind storm. It felt like we were going to get blown right off the road! But we made it through safely and enjoyed a nice dinner at Red Robin.

The Spring Break Trip was full of memories that won't fade quickly. We can’t wait until next year!