BELLE GLADE, Fla. — Luci Riley and her friends are at summer camp, but it's no ordinary camp. It's a mission camp.
"Our job was to fix the bricks around the rim of the area and then we would pull out the weeds then put mulch and rake and make everything nice," said Rilley.
As this group does yard work around the Belle Glade City Hall, other teens are serving food and playing games with children who live a few blocks away.
Ryan McDermott with Christ Fellowship Church is the leader of Student Week.
"We think it's important that our kids understand at an early age that we are called to serve others and love others," he said.
Part of the serving is hosting a summer camp for kids who live in The Glades. Many can't afford to go to a camp. Instead, the summer fun is in their backyard thanks to more than 850 middle and high school teens who are in the mission camp.
McDermott says this is the 11th year the church has hosted Student Week.
"We have 9 summer campsites, Pahokee, South Bay, Belle Glade in multiple cities. Our lives have been impacted by God and others and we want to make sure we do our part to impact others with our love and message of Jesus."
Deidre Jackson brought her grandson to enjoy the day.
"It's a great thing that they are doing for the kids especially our kids in The Glades. They don't have nothing much going for them, so this is awesome," she said.
