We believe that teaching a child to read is a ticket out of poverty.  That is why every year we hold Joy Ministries Reading Camps for at-risk youth living in low-income and subsidized housing areas.  This year we had a total of 172 registered.  We have seen so many phenomenal changes in our children through the years, and this summer was definitely no exception.  Eight classes were held in our adopted neighborhoods all over Hampton Roads. The following are just a few of the life-changing effects that your prayers and financial support enabled us to witness in our reading camps.

• When L.C. first began the program, he was unfocused and disruptive in class. He often made verbal threats to the other children. The teacher soon discovered that the root of his anger was emotional wounds from teasing by other children because of his poor reading abilities. She called him up to her desk one day, looked in his eyes and said “You are a person purposed for success.” He had tears in his eyes when he went back to his seat. From that day on, she noticed a serious improvement in his performance. Not only did this young man greatly improve (moving up 5 steps in the program), but he was able to help others in his group!
• When N.T. first came to camp, she would get very upset at herself every time she made a mistake. Her teacher constantly reminded her that reading camp is a place to learn and to improve so she didn’t need to feel bad about making mistakes. The camp provided a safe environment for her where she could make mistakes and not feel condemned. Her teacher noticed that she had to correct N.T. less and less. She began correcting herself each time she made a mistake and even learned to laugh about it. By the end of the program she had moved from Level 1 to Level 2.  In the Level 2 program she went up 4 progression steps! On graduation day she stated positively that reading camp meant a lot to her by allowing her to improve her reading skills!

Thank you so much for the part that you have played in making a difference in the lives of these  precious children. We couldn’t have done it without you!

To view more pictures from our summer reading camp, visit: