The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
That’s a wrap
Teen-led Aces summer camp offered multiple activities for children
Aces, a program where Lorain teenagers provide community service, wrapped up its summer camp Aug. 8 with a celebration at Greater Victory Christian Ministries, 559 Reid Ave. in Lorain.
The event closed out a summer filled with education and fun activities for youngsters, organizers said.
“This is the final day of our camp, so we are getting ready for when parents come in to see what the kids have been up to all summer,” said Mariah Ferrer, a supervisor for the camp and Aces program. “Aces, which stands for Achievement through Community Education and Support, is a program that my father, Michael Ferrer, started as a way to give Lorain High School kids some guidance and the chance to do something productive by helping the community.
“Members of the group take opportunities to help out in the community for a bunch of stuff, including helping out for festivals like the International Festival and FireFish.”
Ferrer said the Aces program uses its members, those who attend Lorain High School and recent graduates, to help run the summer camp.
“They act as counselors for the kids we have,” she said. “The camp starts in June and runs throughout the summer. We have these kids, grades second through seventh, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday each week. We then use each Friday to prepare the counselors for what we will be doing the following week.”
Ferrer said the camp proAdrian Alvarez, 11, of Lorain, left,and Jose Martinez, 12, of Lorain, play cards Aug. 8at the Aces summer camp.
vided a good job for members of Aces.
“They get paid through Ohio Means Jobs,” she said. “It’s something where they are constantly going out and doing work for others and helping the community.
“They really do a great job with the kids and the passion is really there; it’s not a situation where these guys are phoning it in. It is something that has them being very constructive with their time and prevents them from getting into bad habits.”
Ferrer said she also had headed up a science component to the camp.
“I have been with the camp for three years, and I have wanted to put an emphasis on science and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities,” she said.
“We had something different each week, including building robots for competitions and miniature volcanoes.
“The goal has been for the kids to have fun and learn at the same time. They have been really receptive to the activities, and the counselors have done a great job absorbing the information and teaching it to the younger guys.”
Michael Ferrer said the camp started out to fill a void.
“I have been working with teenagers through Pace, now called Aces, for a long time now, and that is where my expertise lies,” he said. “I’m not as good working with younger kids, but the teenagers in Aces are really able to connect with these youngsters in a big way.
“It came about four years ago when members of the churches on Reid (Avenue) noticed kids walking around in the summer without something to do. I then suggested this camp and I was asked to run it. We have been doing it ever since.”
Jessicka Castro, chief of staff for the Aces program, said the summer has really gone well.
“I appreciate the work our Aces group is doing with these kids,” Castro said. “We have roughly 75 children in the camp with 16 counselors and three supervisors.
“The camp really helps those who may not be able to afford a summer camp experience. They get to go to school in the fall and talk about all the fun they had over the summer time.”
Breah Kamfolt, 12, of Elyria, said she has enjoyed her time this summer.
“We have done a lot of fun stuff,” Breah said. “We come in and can choose to play basketball, board games or whatever is going on that day. It’s a great way to not be bored over the summer.”
Jason Rivera, 20, said he has loved the opportunity of being with Aces and working at the camp.
“It’s the best job ever; you work with kids and you get paid,” Rivera said. “I love to see the joy on the kids’ faces.
“I remember we were doing a three-legged race and my group was behind, and we still had more kids to go, but we somehow came back. It’s been a great summer.”
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