Community involvement spurs Camp Invention growth
COSHOCTON – Local residents’ investment in their community can pay huge dividends. The Coshocton area’s support of local Camp Invention® programs is proof.
Through the financial support of several area organizations, 170 local students will attend Camp Invention this year. Camp Invention, the nation’s premier summer enrichment program for children entering kindergarten through sixth grade, is a program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Using hands-on activities, Camp Invention promotes science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning — as well as builds problem-solving skills and encourages entrepreneurship — in a fun and engaging environment.
Spearheaded by the Coshocton Foundation, local organizations including The Montgomery Foundation; Simpson Family Donor Advised Fund of the Coshocton Foundation; Edwin F. Mulligan Endowed Fund; Ralph D. & Judy P. Wisenburg Fund; Coshocton Kiwanis Club; Coshocton Rotary Club; and Dean’s Jewelry have joined the effort to give local children an opportunity that they could have otherwise missed.
The Coshocton Foundation trustees recognize the importance of STEM education and are trying to make these learning opportunities more available to area children by working with like-minded foundations and local benefactors to expand into other school districts in Coshocton County, said Foundation Executive Director Robert Pell.
“The trustees and I have visited the Camp Invention program led by Diane Schlegel over the years, and we are so impressed with how it involves so many sectors of our community,” he said. “The children are so engaged and excited about the activities. Coshocton local teachers tell us they take the skills they learn at camp back to their school-year classrooms.
“According to the Brookings Institution, despite the availability of STEM career opportunities, students are losing interest and opting out of this path,” Pell added. “As STEM careers offer family-sustaining incomes, it behooves us to educate children about these lucrative fields. Camp Invention is a wonderful and fun way to make that happen.”
Upcoming Camp Invention sites in the Coshocton area include:
- Coshocton Elementary School, the week of June 18
- Warsaw Elementary School, the week of June 25.
To register for a local Camp Invention, visit www.campinvention.org.
Category: Education
