Help Cheryl Fund Our Kids Futures!

Why I’m asking you to support Keene Housing Kids Collaborative during NH Gives

During NH Gives, New Hampshire’s statewide day of giving, I’m asking you to make a gift to Keene Housing Kids Collaborative so more children in our region can access summer camp, after-school activities, and life-changing opportunities they might otherwise miss. Every donation matters during this 24-hour campaign, and every gift helps open a door for a child. 

This cause is personal to me. I grew up in a single-parent, single-income household. My mom worked piecework in a shoe factory in Manchester, New Hampshire, and we lived in government-assisted housing. For much of my childhood, we relied on food stamps to help put groceries on the table.

My mom did the best she could, but there was never extra money for after-school activities or summer camp. Summer often meant staying home, caring for my younger brother, and spending long days in a neighborhood where many families were facing the same challenges we were.

When a child grows up with limited resources, it can be hard to imagine a life beyond what they see every day. Opportunities that other families may take for granted can feel completely out of reach.

That is why Keene Housing Kids Collaborative matters so much. The organization helps children dream again—and then helps make those dreams real. Whether it is summer camp, horseback riding, dance lessons, after-school programs, or even support toward getting a driver’s license, these experiences help children step outside their daily routines and see new possibilities for themselves.

Supporting Keene Housing Kids Collaborative does not create “extra” opportunities—it gives children access to experiences, confidence, and connections that many of their peers already take for granted.

• More than 60% of lower-income families who did not enroll their children in extra curricular activities said they wanted to but could not afford it.
• Camp and after-school activities reduce isolation and increase peer connection, offering critical support for children facing economic stress, food insecurity, or housing instability.
• Overnight camp can be especially powerful because it gives children a safe break from daily stress and places them in a supportive, relationship-rich community.
• Participation in extracurricular activities builds independence, confidence, social skills, empathy, leadership, teamwork, resilience, and a willingness to try new things—skills that can last a lifetime.

When you give during NH Gives, you help make these opportunities possible for local children. Your generosity can help send a child to camp, support participation in after-school activities, and create moments of joy, growth, and belonging that can shape a child’s future.

Starting June 9 at 5:00 p.m. and ending June 10 at 5:00 p.m., please join me in supporting Keene Housing Kids Collaborative during NH Gives. Make your gift during this 24-hour campaign and help ensure that more children in our community have the chance to dream bigger, try something new, and experience the support every child deserves.

Camp doesn’t just change a child’s summer, it changes how they see themselves.

THANK YOU!