A balmy breeze blew across Turkey Creek Lake as children from the 14th Street Community Center listened intently to instructions on how to bait a hook Wednesday afternoon.

The children are taking part this week in an outdoors experience learning things about nature at the AmeriCorps VISTA/Time Out For Me first annual Summer Camp.

Marcia Harris is the director of the Time Out For Me program, and said this week has been a success.

“Sarah (Lowe) and Kelly (Hatas) have actually planned everything,” Harris said. “We’ve met and tried to see what is best for the kids, and we will do those things that are cultural and career possibilities. And basically fishing, horseback riding, and swimming.”

As the children, fishing rods in hand, headed for the water, volunteers talked about the benefits of the camp.

“Basically we’re wanting to get the kids out of the city to learn about nature, and also the relationship we are building here with the Shawnee (State University) students. It’s really beneficial for the kids to have really good role models,” AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer Sarah Lowe said.

“AmeriCorps is kind of like a domestic Peace Corps,” Hatas said. “The branch that Sarah and I are in is AmeriCorps Vista, Volunteers in Service to America. And the ultimate goal is to alleviate poverty in the communities that we are working in.”

Hatas said the group works with Ohio Campus Contact, which is on the campus at every university in Ohio.

“We try to alleviate poverty by leveraging resources from the university and also getting students to volunteer and be more civically engaged,” Hatas said.

Hatas said some of the student volunteers put in a 300 community service hours in a calendar year and get a $1,000 AmeriCorps Educational Scholarship, which can be used for loans or future schooling. Other students are involved in a community-involvement class, Reflections On Community Involvement, at SSU. They also receive credit for the hours they volunteer. Others, Hatas said, were simply volunteering on their own.

Each volunteer was in charge of two children, offering more personal attention, and allowing better communication between the volunteers and the children participating.

Lowe said those involved in the camp received help from several companies, including Papa Johns, Little Caesars, Kroger, Tim Hortons, and Wal-Mart.

Lowe also credited Barb Bradbury and Rita Haider for their assistance.

“We want to nurture the kids and offer positive communication skills. Exposing them to career possibilities is the main thing,” Harris said. “It is to expose them to feeling good.”

FRANK LEWIS may be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 232.