A grant of more than $95,000 by the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP) Fund and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) will fund the program for two years. In addition to the Tiger coaching staff, Wittenberg will contribute the use of its athletic facilities for the program. The grant, which should benefit at least 200 young people this summer, is administered by the NYSP Fund, which is funded by the NCAA and the U.S. Department of Human Services.
The NYSP camp will provide a structured athletic and educational enrichment program for area youths aged 10-16. Campers will participate at no cost.
Wittenberg is only the second Division III college in Ohio to take on the NYSP camp for the benefit of its community. “I was a counselor in this program at my college (Cheyney University in Pennsylvania),” said Garnett Purnell, Wittenberg director of athletics. “I saw how much this program benefits a community.”
“It brought people from various neighborhoods together, which helped foster and develop long-term relationships,” Purnell continued. “It also offered life-long skills for education and recreation that they might not be able to get otherwise. But it’s also important to get these kids on a college campus early, where they can feel included and see what college life is all about.”
“Wittenberg is delighted to be working with the NCAA and neighborhood groups to provide summer opportunities for young people ,” said Baird Tipson, Wittenberg president. “I’m especially pleased that the young people will be exercising their minds as well as their bodies. We are grateful to Garnett for his leadership in bringing us an opportunity to offer our facilities to the Springfield community.”
The program will have two major parts: athletic and enrichment. Athletic activities offered will be those with high potential for life-long benefits. For instance, planned sports will include swimming, tennis, softball, golf, dance, racquetball and track.
Enrichment activities will take place in Wittenberg classrooms, and take advantage of area resources, such as the COSI Science Center and Wright Patterson Air Force Base. These activities will be aimed at better nutrition, disease prevention, personal health, math, science, alcohol and drug prevention, crafts, college success, career opportunities, and many others.
“We contacted other local agencies with an interest in summer youth programs, like the Springfield City Schools, the Urban League, and the parks and recreation district,” Purnell said. “All of them enthusiastically endorsed the need for a program like this.” The Springfield City Schools District has expressed interest in becoming an active partner by pre-qualifying applicants for the program and exploring ways to help fund transportation expenses.
The camp will begin this coming summer with 200 campers, but is expected to grow to as many as 500 participants in a few years. Wittenberg’s athletic facilities can easily accommodate that level of growth, Purnell said.
Campers will come to campus five days a week for five weeks. Camp hours are expected to run from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Wittenberg already operates highly successful for-profit sports camps in baseball, basketball, volleyball and soccer. All of the for-profit camps enjoyed their largest participation ever last summer. “With this new NYSP camp, we hope the benefits of the summer sports camp experience will be more broadly available to the youths that will benefit from it,” Purnell said.
Currently seven major Ohio cities* are served by NYSP summer sports camps at local colleges. The only other participating Division III athletic program in Ohio is Case Western Reserve University, which provides the camp to the Cleveland area.
* Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Kent, Toledo, Youngstown.
