FROM STAFF REPORTS

ALABASTER – Family Connection, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting youth homelessness, is expanding its services to youth through a new summer camp.

Discover U will be open to rising sixth through rising eighth graders. The summer camp’s purpose is to empower youth through fun and engaging activities in a safe environment. A two-week session will be held from Monday, June 16 to Friday, June 27. A subsequent two-week session will be held from Monday, July 14 to Friday, July 25.

Both sessions will be held at Family Connection’s campus in Alabaster. Each day at the camp will be based on a variety of themes, including art, music, sports and more.

Each two-week session will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and will feature early drop-off at 7 a.m. and pickup by 6 p.m.

The cost per session is $300. A $25 fee is due at registration.

The “Discover U” summer camp is a part of Family Connection’s strategic plan to increase services to meet the needs of youth and families in their community.

Jeremy Raines, the director of programs for Family Connection, gave his thoughts on the announcement.

“We have been serving middle schools throughout Shelby County as part of our Therapeutic Outreach Prevention in Schools (TOPS) program and we believe Discover U Summer Camp will be a wonderful way for us to expand our outreach and prevention services,” Raines said. “While limited slots are available for this summer, we do plan to expand to a full eight-week camp in the summer of 2026.”

For more information on the camp or to register a child for Discover U call 205-663-6301 or email tops@familyconnection-inc.org. More information about Family Connection can be found at Familyconnection-inc.org.