The Wisdom Foundation began with two mothers who were committed to changing the Jackson public school system and were anxious to get involved with the elementary school children in Jackson. For founders, Elizabeth Keller and Suzanne Hull, Camp Wisdom Foundation was to serve as a way for students to excel in reading and math even after their long summer breaks. Keller speaks on the foundation’s goals: “We also wanted to introduce were children from different socioeconomic and racial backgrounds could play and learn together without the barriers of race. Children should be allowed to be children and not be influenced by the prejudices of others. We also wanted to create a place that would provide the arts. All of our students made tremendous progress over the year but as summer approached it was clear that these same children had no access to any summer enrichment programs or even books to keep them on track for the next school year. Camp Wisdom created access to the tools and support that they needed to stay on track during the summer. They had a safe place with mentors and teachers and no barriers. By the last day we knew we had done just what we had set out to do. It was a huge victory.”
Camp Wisdom Foundation supports four interconnected programs: Wisdom Academy, The Wisdom Garden, Camp Wisdom and Wisdom Across America. This non-profit organization focuses on literacy, diversity, creativity, fitness, nutrition and character development all at once.
The Wisdom Foundation works to support working parents and the teachers that are investing in their students every day, all year. The Foundation seeks to reach the greater Jackson, Mississippi community by providing the support and interactions necessary to a child’s academic success. The programs serve as an outlet for children who live in-risk communities or children whose parents work long hours and do not have the time to provide them with the help they need with schoolwork.
The Wisdom Foundation works to insure that all of our students are able to use the countless resources at the Academy to become well-rounded individuals who can balance academic success with creativity and fitness. The Wisdom Academy provides out-of-school time support for homework, fitness, enrichment and creativity, nutrition and health, recreation and literacy. Camp Wisdom promotes diversity and provides a free academic and enrichment based program that serves 200 children from the entire community with books, language arts, math, fitness, the arts, middle school mentors, jobs and pure fun. The Wisdom Garden is a 10,000 square foot teaching garden that serves the 400 local elementary students. Wisdom Across America provides a cultural opportunity for five students in the fifth grade who travel across the western United States for 11 days from Dallas to the Grand Canyon and the top of the snowy Rocky Mountains.
Through these programs, the Wisdom Foundation seeks to enrich and enhance the Jackson children and community by providing the opportunity to grow as students and parents.
To learn more about the Wisdom Foundation, please visit http://www.campwisdomjackson.org and follow them on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/CampWisdom
