Organizers scramble to put on kids’ summer camp after last-minute cancellation

This summer, a shelter for young children in Charlotte was closed before it could even start.

Jackie Lewis spent months planning a camp to keep children off the streets in west Charlotte, only to be told the county had no more room.

Monday would have been Lewis’ first day of summer camp. She told Channel 9’s Ken Lemon her goal was to create an alternative to violence in the same community where her son and grandson were killed.

But everything collapsed at the last moment.

“I feel disappointed, I feel hurt,” Lewis said.

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She planned fun days at the splash park, as well as reading, math and science lessons at the recreation center. She worked on this plan for eight months hoping to make a difference in a community that has experienced tragic losses, including the shooting deaths of her son and grandson four years ago.

“The main thing and my goal was to keep the kids safe out of harm’s way during the summer,” Lewis said.

She said Friday afternoon, administrators at the West Charlotte Recreation Center called her and told her they didn’t have space for her camp there.

“If that was the case, I should have been told when we started talking,” Lewis said.

She said she sent notices to parents and met with some of them on Zoom. However, some went to the center on Monday and were turned away.

It was a program that children could have participated in for free. When one mother found out the program had been canceled, she said it made her “angry (and) upset.”

“What will the children do?” said Sherrill Coutourier, who said she came for the seniors and saw some parents being turned away.

“First I felt sick, then I got angry,” Couturier said. “Tell us old people to go, if that will give you more space.”

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Lemon contacted parks and recreation officials Monday morning and was told someone would speak out about what was wrong.

Just after 5 p.m., the county sent Channel 9 a statement saying, “A request to host a summer camp at the West Charlotte Recreation Center was made on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. At that time, the Recreation center staff communicated to applicant: Jacqueline Lewis, that it was too late to host the summer camp at the West Charlotte Recreation Center, in accordance with Park and Recreation’s standard process and schedule for summer camp contracts. summer. Additionally, several senior programs and another team camp were already planned at this location. Staff suggested a nearby park and recreation facility, less than two miles from the West Charlotte Recreation Center, as an alternative.

Before the request was made, Park and Recreation shared general information about the process of organizing a summer camp, as well as the structure of county-run summer camps for teens. But the request was not made until June 11, when staff reported the center was unavailable.”

Lewis said she was trying to find another location to host the camp.

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