Edhat Staff
More than 300 students from United Way of Santa Barbara County’s six-week Fun in the Sun (FITS) camp competed in the summer program’s Olympic games on July 21. Held at El Camino Elementary School, the games encouraged team building, leadership and problem-solving skills.
The games brought together participants (grades 3-12) from each of FITS’ five sites, including Aliso, Harding, Franklin, El Camino and Santa Ynez schools. The special event came as the 2017 FITS program draws to a close. Some of the games included Relay Races, Tug of War, Hula-Hooping, and a Shower Cap/Shaving Cream Toss. Additional festivities included face-painting and craft tables for projects such as creating lanyards and masquerade masks.
“This was a great way to celebrate the end of this year’s Fun in the Sun program, which plays an important role by reducing and reversing summer learning loss,” said Steve Ortiz, CEO and President of United Way of Santa Barbara County. “FITS primarily focuses on academics, but we recognize how important it is to make time to play and have valuable educational opportunities such as our Olympic games.”
Each summer, FITS offers participants a fun learning environment with a daily emphasis on literacy, including reading and writing; science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM); service learning projects; character education; financial literacy; educational field trips; and much more.
About Fun in the Sun
Fun in the Sun is United Way’s six-week summer learning program designed to reduce summer learning loss and narrow the achievement gap for at-risk students in grades 3-12. Fun in the Sun supports United Way of Santa Barbara County’s larger United for Literacy initiative, which provides a continuum of services to improve literacy and graduation rates in Santa Barbara County.
About United Way of Santa Barbara County
United Way of Santa Barbara County (UWSBC) has the unique and positive vision that “in our community, everyone has a hopeful future.” Since 1923, UWSBC has served Santa Barbara County community through funding, volunteer development, and by utilizing its own unique initiatives that involve dozens of local non-profit and public sector agencies. UWSBC’s local community driven Power of Partnership™ priorities help children, families & seniors with a focus on Education, Income and Health.
