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James Island nonprofit outlines seventh summer of OCE youth enrichment camp
Summary
Denise Lassen Johnson, founder of Opportunity Calls Everyone (OCE) Family Development Center, updated the town council on this summer’s six‑week camp: attendance, community partnerships, program activities, funding challenges after a National Science Foundation cut, and plans for fundraising and volunteer recruitment.
Denise Lassen Johnson, founder and director of Opportunity Calls Everyone (OCE) Family Development Center, told the James Island Town Council on Tuesday that her nonprofit completed its seventh summer of a six‑week youth enrichment day camp that served about 40 children this year.
Johnson said the camp ran Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., served children roughly ages 7–15, and offered daily academic enrichment, character‑building, recreation and weekly field trips. "We provided a fun and safe environment where our children can build friendships and confidence," Johnson said.
The program served primarily island residents: Johnson told the council that more than 35 of the campers this summer lived on James Island and attended local schools. Over seven summers, she said OCE has served "more than 150 children," and that roughly 85 percent of those served in an eight‑year span were James Island residents.
Johnson described a broad set of local partnerships that supported the camp’s programming: library visits, weekly STEM sessions provided by a mobile naval base program, visits from College of Charleston staff and the Gibbes/Gullah‑Geechee community, martial arts and basketball workshops, and recurring volunteers from First Baptist Church that supplied one weekly trip’s transportation. She said VisionLearn provided free eye exams and glasses to 18 campers this year.
Funding and program stability were among Johnson’s principal concerns. She told the council that OCE had previously received support from the National Science Foundation for STEM activities but said that funding was reduced or lost, forcing the organization to seek other grant and fundraising sources. "We are sustaining ourselves," she said, "but we are pursuing donations, sponsorships and small grants so we can hire counselors and expand programming." Johnson said the camp charges families $75 per week, which covers meals (breakfast and lunch) and a snack.
Johnson also described a community service element: this year campers helped prepare thousands of diapers for a local diaper bank event. She closed by inviting volunteers and potential partners to contact her via the OCE website and by thanking town staff and the organizations that supported the camp.
The mayor thanked Johnson and noted the town had participated in and supported the program in recent summers.
