THOMAS HARDY

It was disturbing to read a June 27,2014 article in The Wall Street Journal by Miriam Jordan that, “More than two-thirds of America’s youth would fail to qualify for military service because of physical, behavioral or educational shortcomings, are posing challenges to building the next generation of soldiers.”

According to Jordan, “The military deems many youngsters ineligible due to obesity, lack of a high-school diploma, felony convictions and prescription-drug use for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. But others are now also running afoul of standards for appearance amid the growing popularity of large-scale tattoos and devices called ear gauges that create large holes in earlobes.”

What is happening to our youth? Perhaps it is a societal evolution will take care of itself. But nonetheless it is disturbing.

My point in reporting this is to contrast the above with how fortunate we are in Vero Beach to have so many programs to help help our youth develop into productive, self-assured and future leaders. Perhaps the American Dream is still intact for these lucky kids.

Largely through philanthropy and many revered volunteers, Vero Beach enjoys a wealth of programs to help our youth.

Highlighted below are some of the organizations offering summer and year round programs that make Vero Beach such a special community for our children. Some of these programs are fee based and some offer scholarships. Surely, it is an incomplete list, because all our places of worship provide summer camps and year-round programs, as well as other unlisted organizations.

Hibiscus Children’s Center provides safety for abused, abandoned and neglected children through prevention programs, residential programs, shelter programs, and recovery programs. It has been saving and rescuing the lives of children since 1985.

St. Edward’s School offers approximately 15 youth summer camps, including Water Camp, Explorations, Specialty Camps, Magic Camp, Academic Camp, Sports Camps and Swimming Lessons.

The Moorings offers an all encompassing camp, including golf, tennis, swimming, and reading.

The Youth Sailing Foundation of Indian River County offers a six-week Youth Sailing Camp at the Moorings, where children learn self-discipline and alertness.

Riverside Children’s Theatre is the youth oriented educational arm of the non-profit Riverside Theatre, Inc. The largest youth theatre in the state of Florida operating in its own facility, RCT provides after school and summer programming and performance opportunities for local youth.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Indian River County serves more than 1,500 youth per year through after-school and summer programs.

The Gifford Youth Activity Center offer programs for children of all ages to help develop self-esteem, teach character, and encourage each individual to reach his or her ultimate potential.

Special Equestrians of the Treasure Coast provides educational and therapeutic horseback riding for the physically and mentally challenged in Indian River County.

The Vero Beach Museum of Art’s Summer Art Campoffers nine creative, child-centered sessions for young artists ages 4-16, ranging from building structures with large appliance boxes to inventive photography.

Imagine South Vero offers a summer camp with a variety of educational programs, one of which is a MicroSociety Program, where kids get to be the boss, create their own businesses and run their own society.

Life for Youth has a summer camp for children ages five to 16. Its mission is to show children that “God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their life.”

In the future, I will be writing about the mission and successes of many of these programs and how the role models in these organizations can influence what can be done to avert what could be a crisis for America’s youth.