Sleepaway camp is a rite of passage for so many kids, but not everyone can afford to go.
A total of 16.4% of L.A. County children live in poverty. Almost 20,000 Los Angeles Unified School District students experience homelessness, which is why the nonprofit, United in Harmony, was created back in 1989. It provides some of L.A.'s most vulnerable children with an experience they will never forget.
"If you've never been to Camp Harmony and you've never been rock climbing, you get to experience something that you'll never experience in your life," said camper Joseph Rodriguez.
"I was able to escape my life at home because I didn't have to worry about all the drama, all the chaos," said Xitalli Perez, a former camper and current counselor at Camp Harmony. "I was just able to be myself. I was able to be a kid. I was able to play. I was able to meet new friends and make bonds with the counselors."
Since its founding, Camp Harmony has tripled in size as the need has grown. There's a five-day summer camp in Ojai, a camp over President's Day weekend, a gathering around the holidays and activities on weekends.
"Camp is life changing," said Nick Melvoin, camp director at Camp Harmony and an LAUSD School Board member. "We have so many experiences of our former campers, including some who are now counselors, who talk about it's the first time they went in a pool, it's the first time they saw the ocean, the first time they tested their limits on a ropes course."
"My mom absolutely loves it when I get to," Joseph said. "She loves that I always crack a smile whenever I get to go."
The camp is free for campers. Volunteer counselors like Daniel Elbaz pay to go. This will be his third summer.
"I make these really meaningful connections with these campers," Elbaz said.
"Particularly now as the federal government is cutting so many critical programs for kids and families and that social safety net is eroding, Camp Harmony is more important now than ever," Melvoin said.
To operate all of its programs, including two camps for roughly 1,000 kids, United in Harmony has to raise roughly $1.2 million. If you'd like to donate, you can visit here.