Lower Cape Outreach Council Helps Family With Summer Camp Costs
Childcare is always a challenge on Cape Cod, but more so in summer for parents with seasonal jobs.
Alicia (not her real name) wanted to get her 6-year-old twins into a summer camp so she could work extra hours at her seasonal job and thus save money for the winter months, but found the cost prohibitive. Although her husband works two jobs, the couple has found raising children on the Cape costly, and sending two children to camp at once was out of reach. For help, they turned to the Lower Cape Outreach Council.
A nonprofit organization based in Orleans, the Lower Cape Outreach Council helps residents of all eight Lower and Outer Cape towns who are experiencing financial difficulty. A team of volunteer advocates, led by a licensed social worker, works with clients on an individual basis to determine how best to help. The organization provides assistance with housing, utilities, transportation, medical costs, childcare and more, depending on the situation.
“My mom, when I was growing up, used their fuel assistance program,” Alicia said, explaining how she knew about the Outreach Council.
“It’s definitely a huge help,” Alicia said of LCOC, explaining that the Outreach Council was able to coordinate an arrangement to combine its funding with aid from The Children’s Place in Eastham and a scholarship program to cover most of the camp tuition for her two children.
In addition, Alicia was able to get some help from her church to pay for specialized instruction within the camp program—sailing for her daughter, and horseback riding for her son, who is autistic.
With her children in camp for three days each week, Alicia will be able to work four shifts at her summer job, which will make the winter months much easier, she said.
While she had been worried about the coming summer season and what her children would do, now, “I’m looking forward to it, because I know they’re going to absolutely enjoy it.”