GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Free summer camp is back at parks across Grand Rapids for the first time in years.
Martin Luther King Park has had summer camps the last two years with about 200 kids.
This summer, the city is using $180,000 worth of CARES Act money to fund programs exclusively meant to serve the city's third ward.
“These are areas in the city that have historically been under-invested in,” Parks and Recreation Director David Marquardt said.
Summer camp programs will extend from MLK, to Roosevelt, Joe Taylor, and Garfield parks.
Sign up begins May 20, and the camp is free. Kids must register with Parks and Recreation to participate. The program is available for kids living in Grand Rapids between the ages of 7 and 15. Lunch will be provided.
“This is the right thing to do. These are the right types of neighborhoods where we can provide opportunities,” Marquardt said.
The city says they hope to continue the program next summer.
