Posted on June 24, 2015 by Robin Lerner in U.S. Department of State U.S. Department of State, By Robin Lerner I loved being up in New York to kick off the second summer Route J-1 roadtrip. After a day of inspiration at Liberty Island, I headed upstate to Bear Mountain, NY. Just an hour or so outside of the Big Apple, and you are in pristine nature. Since 1984, this beautiful place has been the home of a special camp called, Camp Homeward Bound. Created by the Coalition for the Homeless, CHB is the nation’s first summer sleep-away camp designed specifically for homeless kids in the New York shelter system. Camp director, Beverly McEntarfer, told me that nearly 40 percent of CHB’s campers have endured physical abuse or neglect and have emotional or behavioral issues exacerbated by the instability of homelessness. Thanks to CHB, many of those kids experience a life-changing summer respite from city life in a shelter.
