CAMP Rehoboth expands online programs and services

For the past 30 years, the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center has provided a place for the community to come together for educational programs, medical services, cultural events and more.

Despite the recent COVID-19 pandemic, that work continues with the recent expansion of services and programs CAMP Rehoboth offers online.

“CAMP Rehoboth has always been about connecting people to one another,” said Salvatore Seeley, who directs CAMP Rehoboth’s health and wellness programming. “Even though it may look a little bit different, we can still serve the community through virtual meetings and Facebook Live events.”

Seeley and his staff worked with their speakers to adjust their presentations to an online format. In the first month that Delaware’s Stay-At-Home orders were in place, CAMP Rehoboth offered programs on whole foods eating and grocery shopping while quarantined, chair yoga and traditional yoga classes, a monthly book club discussion group and mindfulness classes. CAMP Rehoboth also facilitates a number of support groups, including ones for men, women, and persons experiencing grief. These groups are now meeting online as well.

Persons interested in getting a weekly email about upcoming virtual programs at CAMP Rehoboth should send their name and email address to CAMP Rehoboth at info@camprehoboth.com.

For young adults, CAMP Rehoboth offers more than just a virtual platform for them to feel connected. It is creating a safe space for them to get and give support to each other, to feel connected during these days of social distancing and isolation. CAMP Rehoboth Youth Coordinator Barbara Antlitz said, “Our LGBTQA+ Youth Circle Meeting allow them an opportunity to connect with other like-minded young people in a safe place, and gives them an opportunity to be themselves.”

The community response to CAMP Rehoboth’s virtual programming has been very positive, with participation in most programs more than doubling. “Online programming allows CAMP Rehoboth to reach out and to serve even more people than one can do within the walls of a Community Center,” says CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director David Mariner. “People from all across Delaware, and throughout the mid-Atlantic region, are now able to benefit from the services we offer.”

Not all programs can be done virtually, however, CAMP Rehoboth has provided testing for HIV and sexually-transmitted infections for a number of years through the community center. Those services are still available, but only by appointment at the center or one of its remote testing locations.

CAMP Rehoboth is a nonprofit community service organization dedicated to creating a positive environment inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities in Rehoboth Beach and its related communities. It seeks to promote cooperation and understanding among all people, as they work to build a safer community with room for all. For more information, call 302-227-5620 or go to www.camprehoboth.com.