| 
Camp
Totokett
Camp Totokett is a one-week summer camp
experience for children ages 6-16 who have HIV/AIDS
in their families. It is a safe, caring environment
that provides a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, urban/suburban
community that pairs campers with high school students.
Camp Totokett was organized in 1996 in response to the
needs of children affected and often orphaned by AIDS.
The Branford Community Foundation was one of the first
organizations to provide funding for this new project
spearheaded by The First Congregational Church of Branford.
The camp is held at Killam's Point in Branford, shoreline
property owned by the church.
The camp is staffed almost entirely by volunteers ,
adults and high school students, mainly from Branford
but also from other towns in the area. The one-on-one
relationship between camper and counselor/mentor has
been the hallmark of the camp from the beginning and
its main strength.
The first year, there were about 30 campers and the
number had grown steadily along with the number of volunteers
so that in 2001 there were about 90 campers and 125
volunteers. It is obvious that this one week, a week
of fishing, swimming, hiking, etc., a week where the
children can be carefree and recapture a bit of their
childhood, fulfills a real need.
|
