Over the summer the Farmville Recreation Department offered numerous day camps for youth in our area. There were camps that featured crafting, golfing, ziplining and safety all throughout the summer months. Participants seemed to enjoy every minute of programming.

The department, headed by Farmville Recreation Director Chris Bolt, made learning fun for kids this year by teaching life skills that they could use in everyday situations.

In my opinion, the recreation department deserves a pat on the back for giving children knowledge that could save their lives and offering interesting camps to our area. It takes a lot of planning and preparation to even hold a camp, much less carry out successful camps that kids enjoy participating in.

This small-town community should be excited that we have a recreation department that puts so much effort in developing our younger generation. Without camps and programs to take part in, where would our youth be? On the sidewalks roaming around possibly destroying property? Perhaps. Deciding to start drinking alcohol because it looks cool when older people in their lives do it? That could also happen.

Now, those things are not the case for many children in our area. But the scary truth is that is the case for some children locally.

With the camps being offered in the summer by the recreation department, many parents won’t have to worry what their kids are up to while they are away at work. They can rest easy knowing that their children are in a responsible setting learning how to safely partake in outside activities instead of getting into trouble.

Overall, the recreation department should continue to strive to help mold our younger generation.

We need their help and we are thankful for everything they do.

HANNAH DAVIS is the sports editor of The Farmville Herald and editor of The Charlotte Gazette and The Kenbridge-Victoria Dispatch. Her email address is hannah.davis@farmvilleherald.com.