On Saturday, November 1, 2014, Camp Connect held a sleepover at Sea World. 50 youth and 30 volunteers attended the event which included a buffet dinner, six interactive educational classes including feeding the seals and sea lions, petting the manta rays, and breakfast with Shamu. The boys slept in the Shark encounter exhibit and the girls slept in the turtle exhibit. This opportunity allowed these foster children to create special memories with their brothers and sisters.

Camp Connect is a program that ensures children placed in foster care have the opportunity to visit and maintain their relationship with their siblings. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, many children are separated from their brothers and sisters while in foster care. Promises2Kids and the County of San Diego partnered to create Camp Connect to support children in maintaining their family bonds when it is impossible for them to live together in the same placement.

Camp Connect hosts monthly day camps, providing these children with an environment of fun and safety. During this time children not only bond with each other, but also with their adult mentors. Hundreds of San Diegans volunteer their time to work Camp Connect events each year, dedicating themselves to these foster children and supporting a program that provides the best experience possible for brothers and sisters to reconnect.

For more information on Camp Connect, please visit http://promises2kids.org/camp-connect/.