Camp Catch-Up held an appreciation event at Platte River State Park, celebrating volunteers crucial to its mission. Director Mona Tarin and guest speaker Gil Green III emphasized the transformative impact of the camp on children’s lives. The evening honored dedicated volunteers and community partnerships, highlighting the significance of support in fostering hope for campers.
“Your impact on these kids can be monumental,” said Gil Green III during the recent Camp Catch-Up Volunteer Appreciation Event. Camp Catch-Up creates a powerful space for siblings in foster care to reconnect, heal, and simply be kids together—often for the first time in a long time. In this blog, we share Gil’s heartfelt story about his own experience at camp, and how those few days surrounded by connection and support helped shape the course of his life.
At Camp Catch-Up’s Winter Carnival, siblings separated by foster care reunite for a day filled with games, connection, and joy. From bouncing balloons to heartfelt gift exchanges, every moment is about strengthening bonds and creating cherished memories. For many, this is the only time they see their siblings all year—making every hug, laugh, and shared experience priceless.
As we reflect on a year of achievements and meaningful milestones, Nebraska Children would like to extend our gratitude to our invaluable partners and generous donors who have been instrumental in making this year a success. Your support, dedication, and collaboration have been the driving force behind fostering stronger communities, empowering youth, and creating lasting change across Nebraska.
Camp Catch-Up, offered by Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, offers sibling groups separated by foster care an opportunity to reconnect and strengthen bonds. The inaugural winter camp, filled with activities and crafts, served as a meaningful reunion space and time for its campers. The camp fosters both active and quieter moments to engage campers, such as a collective painting project reflecting their time at the camp and a gift-exchange ritual, bolstering family ties. Volunteers, including past campers, contribute towards creating a nurturing environment for the children.
Designed to bring siblings separated through foster care placements back together, Camp Catch-Up offers an opportunity to reunite with these siblings. For some, it has been quite a long time since they have seen their siblings. Often years.
When Chloe Mcshannon ran away from her foster care placements as a teenager, one day she realized that if she didn’t return to school, she’d miss her final exams. That, among many other turning points, led this remarkable young woman to where she is today—as a Camp Catch-Up intern. Read more.
The third summer session of Camp Catch-Up kicked off from July 28-29, this time, with 40 campers. Camp Catch-Up is a Connected Youth Initiative (CYI) program that reunites siblings between the ages of 8-19 who were separated due to foster care placements.
When life gives you rain, you play foosball.
Such was the case for this year’s Camp Catch-Up (CCU), anyway, which is no stranger to obstacles.
A Nebraska Children and Families Foundation program that operates within Connected Youth Initiative (CYI), CCU remains as resilient as its campers.
Throughout the pandemic, the CCU staff continued to find creative, innovative ways to reunite siblings between the ages of 8-19 separated by the foster care system.
This year’s first Camp Catch-Up summer session, Camp Moses-Merrill, kicked off in Linwood, Nebraska from June 10-13. Read more about how campers and staff enjoyed creating fun, tie-dye shirts, and memories!
Although Camp Catch-Up (CCU) has traditionally taken place during the summer, the resilient team remains devoted to reuniting siblings between the ages of 8-19 who were separated by the foster care system. When CCU canceled their summer sessions due to the pandemic, like everything the team does, they substituted their temporary disappointment with innovation.
The team kicked off Camp Catch-Up on September 25. The sessions presented some fun activities from the past and new ones, including cooking before a campfire, tie-dying, and crafts-making. Camp delivered a seasonal spin, too, with pumpkin-carving and painting to boot.
Growing the Good Life 