Our ministry at Camp Restore Detroit is broken into three specific aspects: human care, environmental, and construction. This post will highlight the human care aspect of our work. The 9th Precinct of Detroit where Camp Restore Detroit is located looks largely forgotten and abandoned. Many of the people in our community also feel this way. With human care, our campers work to restore hope and worth to the people in our community. Building long-lasting relationships and partnerships shows our community is not forgotten. We are all precious children of God who deserve love and care.
Camp Restore Detroit is primarily a relational-based ministry so human care is very important to us! All our service projects come from our community, and to be in partnership with our community we need to have relationships with our neighbors. Campers help host kids’ programs, Vacation Bible Schools, Community BBQ’s, and Game Nights to build relationships with our community. Even on our blight and construction work sites, campers engaging in conversations with the homeowners or other community members is part of human care! Camp Restore Detroit doesn’t have a big enough staff to do all this on our own or meet every person in our community. We needs campers to help us build these relationships! Human care can really be found in all aspects of our ministry, and we know without this focus our ministry could not be what it is or continue growing.
Through all these relationships, campers help tear down barriers and restore hope. Even though campers may only be here for a day or a week, they help build a relationship for Camp Restore Detroit with our community. We want our community to know Camp Restore Detroit is a trustworthy partner who will show up and value them and their hopes and dreams. For a community who often feels forgotten, knowing someone cares, is paying attention, and wants to hear their story is incredible! What’s even more special is being able to share not only hope for restoration, but also our eternal and saving hope in Christ!
How can I help?
Local volunteers and campers can get involved in the human care aspect of our ministry in a variety of ways!
Local Volunteers
- Kids’ Nights: every Monday we host a Kids’ Night for our neighborhood kids. We would love volunteers to be extra hands or to help plan and lead a Kids’ Night!
- Tutoring: We are so excited to start planning for a children’s tutoring program and an adult literacy class! If you are interested in being a regular volunteer, please let us know! We would love as many hands as possible to make sure this program is a success when it starts!
If you are a local volunteer interested in helping with either of these programs, please email us at [email protected]. We would love your help!
Campers
- VBS: During the summer, campers are welcome to help with Vacation Bible School! We host one week of VBS on-campus, but can send campers as volunteers to a variety of other churches in the area.
- Community Centers: We have great relationships with many of the Community Centers in our area. These provide us with opportunities for campers to meet the community through various volunteer projects hosted at the community centers.
- Kids’ Nights: If your group is here on a Monday, we would love your help with our Kids’ Nights! Your group can provide additional hands for the activities already planned or plan the activities for the night!
If these are projects your camper group is interested in, just let us know as we plan your time at Camp Restore Detroit. We work really hard to plan projects specialized for your groups’ interests and abilities!
