Summer is here and the youth department is in motion! DVIP/RVAP typically has around 15-30 children staying at our Terry Fortmann Emergency Shelter at a given time.
Our youth advocates are busy with all kinds of activities for children and their families this summer!
Summer heat means going to the pool, getting out the sprinkler, water balloons (we love the re-usable magnet kind), and LOTS of popsicles. Johnson County Conservation has even come to visit to teach kids about earthworms, birds, turtles and snakes. The hands-on activities were a blast (even if the earthworms were a little slimy), and we learned a lot of cool nature facts.
On days when we need to beat the heat, we love using our Iowa Children’s Museum membership. We have also been spending a lot of time in our beautiful youth room making crafts, doing science experiments, playing board games, and having epic Mario Kart battles on the Switch.
There’s nothing quite like summer fun when you’re a kid. It is a special, fleeting time of year that every child deserves to enjoy. The youth advocacy team is grateful for all of the community support we receive that makes all of our summer fun possible.
If you’d like to support our youth activities this summer, we are seeking the following items to help keep summer break engaging, exciting, and safe.
- Youth swimsuits – new or used in (very) good condition
- Youth underwear – all sizes, new only please
- Sunscreen and bugspray for outside time
- Gatorade/juice boxes/snacks
You can purchase these items on our Amazon Wishlist, or contact 319-359-9353 to arrange a donation drop-off.
If you’re interested in sponsoring a youth outing this summer, contact mollie@dvipiowa.org. $200 pays for an arts and crafts day, $400 sponsors a group trip to a local pool.
You can also make a financial donation and designate it for our Youth Department here.
