Our families had wonderful week at Stop the Cycle camp in June. Three moms had never been to a swimming pool before. They were delighted, and grateful to everyone who made it possible.
Stop the Cycle director Oksana reported an unusually gentle and kind atmosphere. Our orphaned parents were calm, joyful, and helped each other. In daily parenting lessons they learned how to be better parents and developed important friendships.
Our staff often spotted a parent holding someone else’s kid or showing some small kindness. Some of our young parents were experiencing a warm, caring family atmosphere for the very first time.
One mom shared this story:
“I’ve lived alone since I was fifteen. I’m used to this being the norm. One time, I celebrated New Year’s with a boy at his parents’ house. It was wild, and not comfortable for me, to be in a family. Many times I just left to cry.
“Nobody loved me when I was a child. That’s why I didn’t know what ‘loving your child’ was at all. When I gave birth to my daughter, I did everything automatically. Only a month later, the understanding came to me that I’m a mother now. It’s extremely important for me to hear all these things about family and love for children.”
The relationships formed at camp make a world of difference for moms and dads who don’t have any other support. And they couldn’t afford it without your help. Thank you for blessing these families with summer camp!
The Last Bell Team
Stop the Cycle Family Camp on Facebook:
Camp activities
Camp kids
Camp families together
Camp staff and student volunteers
Your donations give orphaned youth in Ukraine the support they need at camp and all year. Make a gift today!