What an adventure virtual camp was this year! Due to COVID-19, the HSVC was unable to put on our annual kids summer camp at the shelter. Instead, Humane Educator Angie Sagliani, with the help of our shelter staff, created the first ever Animal Adventure Camp at Home to be enjoyed entirely online!

Animal Adventure Camp at Home was designed by our Humane Educator as an alternative to in-person summer camp with the goal of providing quality educational programming to campers from the comfort of their own home. Campers aged 7-12 learned how to be kind to animals, worked with experts in the field of dog training and horses, and even had interactions with live animals. They also got to virtually tour the shelter and learned how the HSVC works to protect animals in need. 

This virtual program began as a few simple ideas on a brainstorming board. Through careful planning and teamwork, we were able to bring the program to life with the help of our shelter staff, dedicated volunteers, outside nonprofit organizations, and local business Pizza Man Dan’s. We were lucky enough to encounter kind helpers throughout our community to aid in providing a fantastic virtual experience for campers. 

While the program was designed for our local community, the outreach efforts expanded far beyond Ventura County’s borders, with campers in Puerto Rico, Idaho, North Carolina, Florida, Massachusetts, and other California counties all joining in the summer fun. 

Each day, Humane Educator Angie Sagliani enjoyed signing on at 9:00 a.m. and seeing our campers patiently waiting for camp to begin. Morning camp activities started with songs and movement, followed by arts, crafts, cooking, animal presentations, and interactive games. According to Angie, the time she spent with campers flew by. “When you are having fun, the mornings went by quickly and so did the four weeks of summer camp. Now, I am left with the precious memories of seeing our campers engaged in the programming we provided them,” said Angie. 

Our deepest gratitude goes out to all the helpers who made this camp possible. Thank you to the parents, guardians, and families who donated to the HSVC and also gifted their children the opportunity to learn about spreading kindness to all living creatures. Without community builders, this project would still be words on a page.