RADFORD – More than 100 kids spent the weekend in Bisset Park learning everything from archery to car repair to law enforcement scenarios and fishing skills.
The Radford City Sheriff’s Office hosted its first Life Skills Summer Camp, packing tons of activities into the weekend. Children learned outdoor skills that included archery, fishing, camping and hiking, hand tool use, general automobile care and knowledge; safe fire practices, campfire building and extinguishing; traffic stop simulation, 911 and dispatch and law enforcement scenarios; and running a course similar to the one law enforcement agencies use. The camp was free and open to all children in Radford.
Camp participants also enjoyed food and drinks, camp shirts, goodie bags, and a competition certificate.
More than $7,000 in prizes were awarded, donated by sponsors. Sheriff Mark Armentrout also allowed all 100-plus campers the chance to dunk him in a dunk tank.
“We are proud to offer the children of Radford a camp that is unlike any typical camp or organized sports camp,” the sheriff’s office said in a written statement about the camp. “Our goal is to expose our youth to real life situations and help develop skills that will prove invaluable as they grow. Giving Radford’s youth access to life situations and activities they typically may not run into in day-to-day life is our focus.”