April 30^th dawned as a beautiful spring day, the perfect weather for the Shore Update’s Shore Kids Connection. It quickly became clear by the turnout that families were delighted to spend a day enjoying the many activities and exhibits while at the same time making a contribution to a worthwhile cause.

Shore Kids Connection is about community and about giving back by raising money for a local organization that makes a difference. This year we raised $5,480 for Compass’ Camp New Dawn, a summer camp where children and teens receive help working through grief and loss.

“Hospice does such amazing work for our community, and their Camp New Dawn is so important for local children and families. It made sense to partner with them for Shore Kids Connection and to make Camp New Dawn the recipient of funds raised. It was an honor to team up with so many of our local businesses to raise this money, but also to raise awareness about Hospice and Camp New Dawn,” said Cheri Hoffman, Shore Update owner.

Shore Kids Connection is a free event where families enjoy many fun, interesting, and learning activities. Over 80 vendors with interactive exhibits were present and children enjoyed: face painting, a petting zoo, balloon arts and a bounce house, to name just a few; and, a scavenger hunt to complete for a goody bag full of surprises. There also were many activities and free treats for the first 200 early birds… hot dogs, water and bike helmets.

Money for Camp New Dawn was raised in several ways. If you look through the April 21 issue (https://issuu.com/theshoreupdate/docs/shore_update_april_21_2022) of the Shore Update, be on the lookout for “I support Camp New Dawn” badges to learn about which local businesses provided support. Each badge represents the cost of sending one local kid to camp. At the event, families could purchase a FAST PASS for $15, allowing them to skip the lines at any activities and gather all the free goodies right away. All proceeds from both went directly to Camp New Dawn to help local children and teens.

The DD McCracken Home Team, our 2022 Shore Kids Connection Give Local Sponsor, presented an opportunity at Shore Kids Connection for local children to share a message with kids and families at Camp New Dawn by coloring a quilt square of encouragement. “We were just so honored to be part of this community event and help raise these funds for Camp New Dawn,” Dee Dee McCracken shared. “We had the most delightful day meeting families in our community and raising awareness for Hospice’s Camp New Dawn.”

The Shore Update is grateful to so many for the huge success of Shore Kids Connection. Thank you to the many families and vendors who attended and contributed in different ways to help Camp New Dawn. Thank you to our presenting sponsors The DD McCracken Home Team, Soistman Family Dentistry, Kiddie Academy Kent Island, Maryland Primary Care Physicians, Tricia Wilson of Chaney Homes, Philbin & Reinheimer Orthodontics, Kent Island Pediatric Dentistry, and Debbie Savoie-realtor with Long & Foster. And a special thank you to our business partners After Glow, Kent Island Orthodontics, University of Maryland Urgent Care, Kent Island Jewlery, Rosendale Realty, Armin’s Garage Doors, Parks Tire & Auto Service, Fence & Deck Connection, Rita’s Kent Island and The Winery.

The Shore Update will announce the 2023 date at the beginning of next year. Be sure to check www.ShoreUpodate.com and like us on Facebook @theshoreupdate for updates. If you want to learn more about Camp New Dawn, visit www.compassregionalhospice.org/camp-new-dawn.