Over twenty years ago, Colman McCarthy, a former Washington Post columnist and director of the Center for Teaching Peace, visited Binghamton and gave an inspiring presentation on teaching peace to the next generation and in the audience were Dr. Jody and Mrs. Terry Dempsey. Little did they realize that the Holy Spirit would touch them in a way that they would begin a program of their own to teach peace to the young people of the Our Lady of Sorrows parish community. Although it is a nondenominational program it has been a tradition at the Vestal church for 30 years.
For four evenings in July, campers from kindergarten to sixth grade and counselors from seventh to 12th grade run through the paces of working to create peaceful resolutions to everyday issues.
Campers and counselors have activities like art, music and large- motor-skills games to help them as they work through scripted conflicts.
The last evening of Peace Camp is meant for families to enjoy a potluck meal and view skits performed by the campers and counselors that show what they have learned throughout the week.
Keep your eye on the OLS Vestal website (olsvestal.org) early next spring for our summer dates and join in the fun!
