Bolton Safe Haven

The Bolton Safe Haven Afterschool Program was organized in 1999. The program was housed at the Bolton Senior/Youth Center, what was once an old ABC Store has been transformed into a hub of vital resources for senior citizens, youth, dislocated and displaced workers, all of whom are at risk in our town and county. The towns members united to form the Center to provide programs for our youth, thus the Bolton Safe Haven was established. The youth would attend our programs have a safe haven to come to on Monday-Thursday after school. Parents are able to pick up students at 6:00 p.m. We offer a nurturing learning environment for student in grades k-8th. They are offered assistance with homework; participate in the 4-H Club, frequent field trips to local library, museums, and occasional guest speakers. This program is a partnership that we have with the Columbus County Dream Center. Many of the students who attend our programs are of a lower socioeconomic status, and single parent homes. The program also has a nurturing parenting component, in which we provide classes for the parents and reward them for coming and prepare a nutritional meal for them and the children. There approximately 25 students enrolled in the after school program.

The Bolton Safe Haven Summer Camp is held Monday-Thursday from 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. We have the oldest Summer Camp in Columbus County. Our target population is students in grades K-8th. Our focus is on reading, writing, math, STEM, character education, frequent field trips (Learning as we go). We provide students with a nutritional breakfast, lunch, and snack daily. We also end the camp with a major field trip to places such as: Washington, D.C., Georgia, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina. We have partnerships with the Columbus County Dream Center, Columbus County Health Department, C. C. Sheriff Department, UNCM, North Carolina A&T State University and Southeastern Community College. Our meals are sponsored by the Summer Food Service Program.
The summer program is funded by some foundations and matching funds from parents in the amount of $150.00 for the entire 6 weeks. The summer camp is housed at the Bolton Town Hall, under the umbrella of the Bolton Senior/Youth Center. The funds we receive are mainly used for salaries to pay workers who live in the area and are a sophomore or junior in College.
We usually have 30-35 students enrolled in summer camp. We feed approximately 45-50 students daily through the summer food service program.