Raleigh’s Place is providing summer camps for kids in foster care throughout the state of Alabama for the fifth year.

The summer program wrapped up its first week on June 10 and will begin immediate preparation for another week of camp fun.

There are four weeks that make up the summer with each week allowing a new group of kids to take part in the experience.

The first week was held June 5-10 and involved 47 campers of elementary age, followed by middle-school age June 12-17, teenagers from June 19-24 and finally another elementary week June 26- July 1.

“The idea was that Raleigh’s Place wanted to have a home for foster children, but also a camp that allows them to do things that they wouldn’t get a chance to do anywhere else,” Raleigh’s Place director Mike King said.

According to King, the fifth year doing the camp has produced the largest staff of counselors and campers since it started.

“I think that each of the counselors have the right hearts for it,” King said.

Throughout the week, a variety of events were scheduled that included horseback riding, archery, swimming and fishing on Lake Mitchell and learning about the Chilton County Sheriff’s department’s K-9 unit.

Devotions are also held each morning and night.

“It allows them to hear the gospel and to know that they have worth and dignity before the Lord,” King said. “That’s the ultimate vision, and I think that it’s went well so far.”

Several children were crying as they left the camp because they were sad that the experience had to end.

“That emotion lets you know that you’re doing something for the right reasons,” said Sharon King with Raleigh’s Place.

The camp started with two cabins, and now has four cabins, two picnic buildings and an outdoor amphitheater with the hopes of adding a swimming pool by next summer.

According to King, three kids that are junior counselors this summer attended as campers with the program in prior years.

“It has been just amazing to watch God work over the years,” King said. “There are always going to be kids in the county and the state that are in need.”