By VASHTI HARRIS
Staff Writer
RUMSON – Joining forces to help parents send their children to camp, KidGooRoo an online evaluation activities resource is turning reviews from its website into cash to send kids to the Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County‘s summer camp.
For every review that is posted on its website, KidGooRoo will donate $2 toward the already discounted $50 per week cost of sending a child to the Boys and Girls Club’s full-day summer camp, from now through June 30.
KidGooRoo is a free online resource to enable parents to read reviews written by other parents in their own community and make informed decisions about which extracurricular activity is right for their child, according to a prepared statement.
The website officially launched in the summer of 2016 and is based in Rumson, but has grown to cover extracurricular activities through New jersey, Long Island, eastern Pennsylvania and parts of Maryland and Texas, according to co-founder Cathy Goldin.
“Our mission from the start has been make kids’ lives more rewarding by providing parents with a resource to intelligently evaluate their extracurricular programs. We conceived KidGooRoo Kares to be able to enrich all children’s lives, not just those who can afford quality classes and programs,” Goldin said. “We shared our thoughts with [Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County] Executive Director Doug Eagles and together developed a plan around the BGCM summer camp. We hope this campaign is just the beginning of a long and rewarding partnership.”
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County is a private non-profit organization that works to empower all young people, especially those who need it most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, and responsible citizens. The organization’s two facilities in Red Bank and Asbury Park serve more than 1,800 children and teens who come from the most difficult circumstances in the county, according to a prepared statement.
The organization’s summer camp works with children between the ages of 5 to 13.
“[The organization] has been providing high quality out of school time programming for close to 80 years for children in Asbury Park and beyond. In 2009, the Club expanded operations to include the Red Bank community. Our summer camp works with children between the ages of 5 and 13 years old. Enrollment is based on a first-come first-serve basis and slots are limited,” said Lisi Klus, communications director for Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County.
When deciding to work with KidGooRoo, Klus said the collaborate was easy because of both organizations’ strong commitment to helping children.
“The founders of KidGooRoo have been long-time supporters of the work we do. When they launched their business, they wanted to see if there was a way to leverage their business model to support our efforts. The partnership is so natural because both organizations are dedicated to helping parents and children find the best environments for success,”Klus said. “KidGooRoo is dedicated to enriching children’s lives by making sure after-school activities are available to all children, not just those who can afford them. Partnering with The Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County to help send area youth to camp this summer is a natural fit.”
Goldin said that by taking the time to write a review can help give a child the opportunity to enjoy new experiences a camp.
“Most people will read this article and the net take-away is ‘well isn’t that nice,’ but they won’t take the extra step, or in this case, the extra click and extra minute to actually significantly change a kid’s life. The truth is, most fundraisers ask you to do far more, commit monetarily or commit a significant amount of volunteer hours. What we are asking is to simply take a minute or two to share. Share your child’s experiences to make another kid’s experience richer. And in so doing, enabling an underprivileged kid who would otherwise be destined to a summer of long empty days, a summer full of rich, life-changing experiences,” Goldin said.
For more information or to write a review visit www.kidgooroo.com/fundraiser/bgcm/.
For more information about the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County visit www.bgcmonmouth.org.
