Foundation Helps At-Risk Youth Attend Re-opened Summer Camp

June 2, 2005 – The Freddie Mac Foundation joined Metropolitan Police Chief Charles Ramsey and Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington officials in announcing the re-opening of Camp Brown, a summer camp that serves at-risk D.C. area youth. A total of 1,000 youth will be able to get out of the city this summer to attend camp at the 168-acre facility located along the Potomac River in Scotland, Maryland near Point Lookout in St. Mary's County. The summer camp program was shuttered last year due to lack of funding.

The Freddie Mac Foundation donated $100,000 toward the re-opening of Camp Brown. Other donations came from foundations, corporations and individual donors for a total raised of more than $400,000.

BGCGW officials said the 2005 summer camp program would be a major part of their participation in the "40 Days of Peace Program" to reduce the toll of inner-city juvenile violence and crime. Established in 1937, Camp Brown has provided several thousand D.C. area youngsters the opportunity to escape the bustle and heat of the city to enjoy a weeklong adventure in the countryside. Often the trip to Camp Brown is the youths' first experience in traveling outside of the immediate D.C. area. The youngsters attending Camp Brown experience the joy of a relaxing, waterfront setting and engage in a wide range of structured programs and activities. The Camp Brown curriculum covers a variety of topics that promote greater self-awareness, self-esteem, character development and constructive decision-making.

William C. Eacho, acting CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, said: "Camp Brown has a rich heritage of providing a positive summer experience for generations of Washington residents, including a number of our leading business, sports, law enforcement, religious and other community leaders. They have told us how Camp Brown played an important role in their early development. Since Camp Brown is a place for positive interaction, learning key life skills, conflict resolution and personal development, this major summer camp program will be a big part of our summer 2005 effort to reduce youth violence and crime. We want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the many generous donors who stepped up to make the re-opening of Camp Brown a reality for the summer of 2005."

Metropolitan Police Chief Charles Ramsey said: "Our Department is thrilled that Camp Brown will once again be open this summer, and we look forward to the opportunity to work directly with the youth of our community. Preventing juvenile crime and violence is about much more than enforcing the law and locking up offenders. To have a real and lasting impact on the problem, we must reach our young people at an early age, listen to them and guide them in positive directions. Camp Brown, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington as a whole, are major elements of our strategy to engage young people and reduce crime.

Ramsey said that eight-10 D.C. Metropolitan police officers and two members of the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department will live at the camp in order to assist in supervision, first aid, overall camp safety and security.

Maxine B. Baker, president and CEO, Freddie Mac Foundation, said: "At the Freddie Mac Foundation, we've been long-time supporters of the Boys & Girls Clubs and Camp Brown. Camp Brown opens a whole new world for children. When we heard that its doors might close, we knew we had to act. We are so pleased that our city's most vulnerable children will again have a chance to spend the summer in this idyllic, safe setting."