Lack of budget and equipment were no match for the El Carmen Wellness Center at Daughters of Charity Services of San Antonio, Texas, an Ascension community health center, which recently was featured in Catholic Health World for its summer day camp.
For the second year, El Carmen Wellness Center sponsored the two-week El Carmen Healthy Families Summer Camp in late June. Partnering with local schools, mothers and churches, the center provided a day camp and fitness program for children ages 4-14 despite financial challenges.
In the CHW story, Luis Solis, Director of Community Health and Social Services, Daughters of Charity Services of San Antonio, describes how scarce resources are in Bexar County, saying there are no parks, no supermarkets, no banks and no post office in the area 10 miles south of San Antonio. The wellness center is one of very few places for people to exercise, help manage diabetes and socialize.
Last spring, a group of mothers who frequented El Carmen Wellness Center advocated for a program during the summer that would help their children get meals and exercise, create works of art, learn about healthy food choices, and come together as a community.
"I believe by engaging everyone in planning and implementing the summer program, our working together reflected a true respect for the dignity of people and called forth a generosity of spirit from all of us,” Luis tells Catholic Health World. “We are so happy that everybody offered their services with an open heart, and thrilled with what we accomplished, mostly with volunteers.”
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Photo by Ray Whitehouse, used with permission by Catholic Health Association. CHA holds the copyright for the photos.
