SACK Day Camp – Summer Adventure Camp for Kids

Here we are, wrapping up our fourth consecutive summer at SACK. There is still that same wonderful feeling of BELONGING that we experienced when we joined the camp in 2009. The people of SACK — as well as of the Chinese Congregational Church (CCC) that runs the camp — continue to radiate a warmth and joy that is infectious.
At Saturday night’s third-​annual fundraiser dinner, I had the opportunity to hear about the origins of the camp directly from one of its founders, Dick Hom. Forty-​three years ago, Dick was a college student attending service at the CCC when he and a couple of his friends noticed that every summer there would be a large group of children playing parent-​less across the street in Portsmouth Square (at the time one of the few parks in Chinatown).
Upon asking around, Dick and his friends learned that the parents of these children had no place to put their kids while school was out of session. In all cases the families were extremely low-​income, and in many cases there was only one parent in the home. So, while these parents were at work, they had little choice but to leave their children at the park to essentially be babysat by the community and each other.
This was the inspiration for Dick and his partners to start a summer program at the church. The camp had a small and humble beginning but, as word spread, demand grew and the program progressed from half-​day for a few weeks to the all-​day, 8-​week program we have today.
That SACK has kept its enrollment fees so incredibly low over all these years is 100% attributed to the hard work by and dedication from everyone involved. Even after over four decades, they have never lost sight of their original mission. A huge KUDOS to all the counselors, directors, and church members who pour their time and their hearts into SACK… my daughter and I hope to be part of your community for many years to come.