Groundbreaking Held in Mississippi for Camp Kamassa, a Project Financed by HOPE’s Community Facilities Re-Lending Program

Work is underway on a new camp in Mississippi for special needs children, and the project received its financing through HOPE’s Community Facilities Relending Program. U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson and Mississippi First Lady Deborah Bryant were among the speakers at the recent ground-breaking for Camp Kamassa in Crystal Springs, Miss. The camp is a project of the Mississippi’s Toughest Kids Foundation, founded in 2008 by Mary Kitchens.

The camp will be the first of its kind in Mississippi and both Thompson and Bryant were among those who served as advisors or provided support for the project. Kitchens says the camp’s name, “Kamassa,” is a Choctaw word that means “tough and perseverant,” and it aptly describes the youth it will serve.

HOPE’s financing helped to secure materials for the project, which is located on 326 acres and will include several buildings, a sports field, pool, amphitheater and nature trails. Another financing partner on the project was Fahe, one of HOPE’s partners that works to eliminate persistent poverty in Appalachia and also has a Community Facilities Re-Lending Program. HOPE’s re-lending program provides financing for projects that range from healthcare facilities to schools and public safety facilities in towns with a population of 20,000 or less. The program is designed to assist nonprofits and government entities, particularly those in persistent poverty regions, with projects that serve the community.