By Sylvia Flores, Assistant Director Cultural & Human Services

What a long way we have come. The City of Sunny Isles Beach annual summer camp program has increased from 50 campers in 2000, to over 400 campers in 2008. For our first summer at the city’s newest park facility, Pelican Community Park, campers were able to enjoy a fabulous time, among good friends, new and old, and a professional staff.

Campers, ranging in age from 3 years old up to 16 years old, participated in a variety of camp programs, including Camp Tot Lot, Camp SIB, Camp Adventure, and Junior Lifeguard Camp. The array of field trips, activities, learning, and fun culminated in a wonderful display of talent at the Summer Camp Grand Finale on Thursday, August 7th. Campers from all of the different camps performed various acts for their parents, friends, city officials, and special guests.

We also took the opportunity to present special awards to the various organizations that generously donated money to support the Summer Camp Scholarship Fund. Those organizations were Sunflower Society Inc, the Arnold Klein Democratic Club of Sunny Isles Beach, the Kiwanis Club of North Miami Beach & Sunny Isles Beach, the Sunny Isles Beach Police Department, and United Auto Group. Our campers are extremely grateful to these companies for their generosity.

With the start of the new school year, and the opening of the city’s first school, Sunny Isles Beach Community School, the city will begin offering after school programs to accommodate the needs of our residents. To find out more information about this and other programs to be offered, please check out the city’s website (www.sibfl.net), the cable access channel SIBTV 77, or call the Cultural & Human Services Department directly at 305.792.1706.