Summer Bond Camp 2026: Another Successful Year of Service and Community
Another successful year of Summer Bond Camp was held in Belize City at Swift Hall, St. Martin’s. The week-long camp served 100 children, ages 7–11, from the Southside community, with the support and dedication of 40 volunteers.
As usual, the children arrived each day filled with energy, enthusiasm, and excitement. The camp provided a safe, fun, and meaningful environment where the children could learn, grow, build friendships, and participate in a variety of activities.
The camp’s structure is built around four main pillars: Education, Sports, Arts, and Service & Gratitude. These pillars help guide the children throughout the week and encourage them to develop important life skills and positive values.
Discipline and personal responsibility are also important foundations of Summer Bond Camp. The children are consistently reminded of the MOP Rule:
“Always ask, will this hurt me, others, or property? If so, don’t do it.”
The children are also encouraged to practice the 4 A’s of Discipline:
- Acknowledge
- Admit
- Apologize
- Make Amends
These principles help the children understand the importance of taking responsibility for their actions, treating others with respect, and making positive choices.
A New and Exciting Activity: Market Day
One of the highlights of this year’s camp was a new activity that was introduced for the first time: Market Day. It was a wonderful experience enjoyed by both the children and the volunteers.
With a generous donation of $500, Sister Carlette was able to purchase a variety of fresh produce, including sacks of carrots, green peppers, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and limes.
The children were given tickets that they could use to “purchase” the fresh produce from the Market Day. This hands-on activity provided them with an opportunity to learn about making healthy food choices, handling money and tickets, and experiencing what it is like to shop for fresh ingredients.
To make the experience even more meaningful, Sister Carlette conducted a mini cooking class using some of the items purchased during Market Day. The children learned how to prepare carrot cake and vegetable ceviche, giving them practical ideas for how they could use the fresh produce they had selected.
The Market Day and cooking class were both educational and enjoyable, and they provided the children with an experience that connected learning, nutrition, creativity, and practical life skills.
Sister Carlette also took responsibility for providing meals throughout the week for the children and volunteers. Ensuring that everyone was properly fed and cared for was an important part of the camp experience and contributed to the overall success of the program.
Overall, Summer Bond Camp was once again a successful and rewarding week. Through education, sports, arts, service, gratitude, discipline, and encouragement, the children were given opportunities to learn valuable lessons while having fun and creating lasting memories.
The success of the camp would not have been possible without the dedication of the 40 volunteers, the generosity of donors, and everyone who contributed their time, talents, and resources. Most importantly, the week was a reminder of the positive impact that can be made when a community comes together to invest in its children.