Local Businesses Save University Area CDC Summer Camp

Wells Fargo and Molina Healthcare of Florida fund program to ensure University Area youth have summer camp.

TAMPA, Fla. – (Aug. 13, 2013) – The University Area CDC (UACDC) recently received contributions from Wells Fargo and Molina Healthcare that funded the 2013 Dreamcatchers Summer Camp program. For several years, the University Area Community Center has been utilized by Hillsborough County to serve youth between the ages of five and twelve through an all-inclusive summer program. Due to reassignment of existing staff however, the County was unable to run a camp this summer.

The UACDC and its partners acted swiftly to ensure an affordable program offering free lunch and snacks was available to at-risk children in the University Area Community. 

“In a neighborhood like ours, we couldn’t let summer camp just stop,” said Dan Jurman, executive director and CEO of UACDC. “It is crucial that our neighborhood children remain active through the summer and don’t lose core skills they learned in school. That’s why we are incredibly grateful that Wells Fargo and Molina Healthcare stepped forward to make sure our children didn’t lose their summer camp.” 

UACDC’s Dreamcatchers Summer Camp, which ran from June 17 to August 9, served children from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., with aftercare available for parents who could not pick their children up until after 5:00 p.m. The camp was run by a local teacher and included free meals from the Hillsborough County Summer Food Program.

“We named the new camp Dreamcatchers because Native American myths tell us the dreamcatcher could catch a child’s nightmares but would let their good dreams through,” said Jurman. “That’s exactly what we’re trying to do for the children we serve.” 

Programming included sports, games, arts and crafts, performing arts, music lessons, science and technology lessons to keep children engaged, fit and learning over the summer. 

This level of programming would not have been possible without a $7,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation, which paid for supplies and some staffing.

“We recognize the importance of enabling these children to attend summer camp and reinforce their learning skills,” said Steve Schultz, area president for Wells Fargo. “That’s why Wells Fargo is pleased to be able to make this contribution to UACDC."

In keeping with UACDC’s “Let’s Move” initiative, a “Fit Kids” component was added to this year’s summer camp. This segment of camp was supported by a $3,000 contribution from Molina Healthcare.

 “Let’s Move,” of which UACDC is officially a member organization, is part of the First Lady’s goal to reverse the trend of childhood obesity in our country. 

“Molina Healthcare of Florida is excited to be part of the Dreamcatchers Summer Camp,” said Angela Blaylock, community outreach manager for Molina Healthcare of Florida. “The Fit Kids component of camp will provide the children with a chance to participate in fun, physical activities and also teach them about the importance of exercise.”

“Thanks to our incredible community partners,” said Jurman, “Camp won’t just continue here every year. It will be better than ever!”

To find out more about Dreamcatchers Summer Camp and other UACDC youth programs, please call 813-558-5212.
   
About UACDC
The University Area Community Development Corporation, Inc. (UACDC) is a 501(c)(3) public/private partnership whose mission is children and family development, crime prevention, and commerce growth. Its primary focus is the redevelopment and sustainability of the at-risk areas surrounding the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida. The UACDC was named nonprofit of the year for public and societal benefit by the Tampa Bay Business Journal in 2011 and 2012. It is headquartered in the University Area Community Center Complex, owned by Hillsborough County and operated by the UACDC, which is located at 14013 North 22nd Street in Tampa. 
For more information about UACDC, please visit www.uacdc.orgor call Dan Jurman at 813-558-5212 x208.
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About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.4 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, and the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support the bank’s customers who conduct business in the global economy. With more than 270,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States.  Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 25 on Fortune’s 2013 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially.

About Molina Healthcare
Molina Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: MOH), a FORTUNE 500 company, provides quality and cost-effective Medicaid-related solutions to meet the health care needs of low-income families and individuals and to assist state agencies in their administration of the Medicaid program. The Company’s licensed health plans in California, Florida, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin currently serve approximately 1.8 million members, and its subsidiary, Molina Medicaid Solutions, provides business processing and information technology administrative services to Medicaid agencies in Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, New Jersey, and West Virginia, and drug rebate administration services in Florida. More information about Molina Healthcare is available atwww.molinahealthcare.com.

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