Carolina’s Kids sends 32 DCIS students to YMCA Camp Thunderbird

Carolina's Kids donated $3,000 and a large supply of toiletries on Wednesday to the Darlington County Intervention School (DCIS). The donation will send 32 students to YMCA Camp Thunderbird at Lake Wylie during the summer. Andrea Pulling, Carolina's Kids director, left, gathered for a photo with Dr. Zenobia Edwards, director of DCIS; Jordan Matthews, student; Jerod Cassidy, student; and Anitra Caldwell, DCIS math teacher. Photo contributed.

Carolina’s Kids donated $3,000 and a large supply of toiletries on Wednesday to the Darlington County Intervention School (DCIS). The donation will send 32 students to YMCA Camp Thunderbird at Lake Wylie during the summer. Andrea Pulling, Carolina’s Kids director, left, gathered for a photo with Dr. Zenobia Edwards, director of DCIS; Jordan Matthews, student; Jerod Cassidy, student; and Anitra Caldwell, DCIS math teacher.
Photo contributed.

Thanks to a generous donation from Carolina’s Kids, students from the Darlington County Intervention School will again get to attend YMCA Camp Thunderbird this summer along the shores of Lake Wylie.
Carolina’s Kids donated $3,000 to DCIS to cover the full cost of attendance. The organization also donated toiletries for the students to take with them on the trip, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, deodorant and body wash. Andrea Pulling, director of Carolina’s Kids, visited DCIS on Wednesday to deliver the items and funding.

“Carolina’s Kids was honored to be able pay for 32 students from DCIS to attend Camp Thunderbird,” Pulling said. “Our board unanimously voted to fund the entire cost of the trip, and it gave me great joy to deliver the check to Dr. Zenobia Edwards.”

Edwards, the director of DCIS, thanked Carolina’s Kids for allowing students to attend the camp for the third year in a row.

“We are so very grateful for Carolina’s Kids as well as the community organizations and individuals who sacrifice their time and make contributions toward this effort,” Edwards said. “The purpose of this activity is to provide opportunities for our students to experience themselves, their peers and their teachers in a nontraditional setting.”

The DCIS students will attend a weekend event at YMCA Camp Thunderbird, which also hosts other types of camps and was founded in 1936, according to its website.

“During this three-day weekend, several positive behavioral tenets that have life application will be taught and learned as students participate in activities such as hiking, zip lining and even square dancing,” Edwards said. “Group activities that focus on teamwork and cooperation will also be a part of this experience. Each year, our group continues to grow as students anticipate attending, even students who have successfully matriculated back to their home schools.”

As for the funding and providing supplies, Pulling said it’s all thanks to the community’s support of the organization.

“Carolina’s Kids is grateful for the support we get from the communities we serve,” she said. “That support enables us to not only provide basic necessities but also provide the funding for experiences like Camp Thunderbird. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some of the students, so it is very special we were able to do this.”

For more information about YMCA Camp Thunderbird, please visit www.campthunderbird.org. For more information about Carolina’s Kids, please visit www.carolinas-kids.org.

Author: Jana Pye

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