Operation Summertime
This summer, take advantage of one of Jackson’s greatest resources – Operation Shoestring. Serving the community for decades, Operation Shoestring was founded in 1968 in response to the social struggles of the civil rights era. Remaining true to its commitment to uplift local children and families, the organization, which is still in its original location in the heart of Jackson, has, for decades, been at the forefront of efforts to improve the lives of area residents by providing afterschool and summer programs for kids as well as services and support for parents and guardians.
Summer Camps for All Ages
During the summer season, Operation Shoestring hosts programs for children…and parents. “Each summer we have youth summer camp,” said Lakesha Partee, Program Coordinator at Operation Shoestring. “The main thing for us is just making sure that we have a theme each year. So for the past two years, our main focus was social emotional learning. This year, we’re going to do things a little different and we are going to have a STEM focus. Our summer camp is about six weeks. So we start in June, the first week of June, and run through mid-July.”
Children aren’t the only ones who can partake in the summer programs offered by Operation Shoestring, though. Several years back, after conducting an assessment of local parents’ interests, Operation Shoestring began offering parent summer camps. “We have had a great turnout. This will be our third year this summer [for parent summer camps],” Partee explained. The parent summer camps are held in conjunction with youth summer camps and typically take place over the course of a weekend, allowing families to enjoy the summer camp experience together.
Year-Round Fun at Operation Shoestring
There’s more to Operation Shoestring than summer camps, though. “We have several programs,” Partee said. She continued, “From having a food pantry to our own clinic to a tutoring program to afterschool activities, even different day cares… you name it, we’ve pretty much done it.” The offering might seem varied, but it makes sense when you learn of the organization’s goal, which is to empower the children and families of the community by providing year-round academic, social, and emotional support to children from pre-K – 5th grades, while also supporting and providing resources to their families.
Operation Shoestring is One-of-a-Kind
In case you haven’t already noticed, Operation Shoestring caters just as much to parents as children – and that’s part of what makes it so unique. Partee explained, “What we try to do a little differently is just make sure that we are really targeting the parents’ needs. [We are] not so much just trying to rehearse them on how to help their children per se, but just really individually [asking], ‘What do you need so you can be a better you for your child?’” What’s more, the organization actually listens to what parents have to say and, in turn, uses those responses to create a varied program offering, which over the years has included everything from cooking tutorials to financial literacy classes. Partee added, “…and just going back to children. We do we do still offer tutoring services to those who need them, and then we also provide academic enrichment activities for them as well.”
A Community Affair
One of the best things about Operation Shoestring is that all of its programs are offered at no cost. “We do not charge at all,” Partee stated. And because Operation Shoestring doesn’t charge for its services, it relies on donations as well as grants to operate. Community partnerships also play a big role. Partee explained, “Community partners are such a huge priority to us because we know we can’t do everything and we like to share the stage with different people who can come in and help our students and help the program.” She continued, “We’ve had so many different organizations and even students in college who’ve come and done different STEM activities for our students.” Alcorn State University, Millsaps College, Mississippi College, and Jackson State University have all partnered with Operation Shoestring in the past – and they’re not the only ones. “We’re big on health equity, so we’ve had different organizations come in and provide Zumba classes, yoga classes. We have done so many things, from chess clubs to dance. You name it, we have pretty much tried to provide it,” Partee stated.
Daniella DiRienzo is a self-proclaimed southerner who graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2011 and has been working as a freelance writer ever since.
