C.A.M.P. Donates 26 Bikes To Houston Elementary Students

By Spring Branch ISD via Texas A&M Today

Treasure Forest Elementary students in Houston received some unexpected gifts from mentors in the Caring Aggies Mentoring Program: 26 shiny new bicycles and a lesson in the power of living your values.

C.A.M.P. is a mentoring program through the Houston A&M Club, one of the 251 A&M Clubs charted by The Association of Former Students.

For Principal Celeste Barretto, the impact of the C.A.M.P. mentoring program at her school is obvious—the program’s motto of selfless giving is benefiting school culture and outcomes for kids. “I am excited to have the mentors here. They’ve offered programming support and new bicycles for the kids,” Barretto said during the bike distribution.

“We nurture our mentees from third grade all the way to college,” said Freddie Wong '69, co-founder of the mentoring program. “We help create experiences that build connections and open doors to opportunities for students. Part of that is living our C.A.M.P. values of selfless giving.”

The C.A.M.P. inspires students to pursue higher education by reinforcing excellent academic standards, building confidence and leadership skills, providing fun, life-enriching experiences, and modeling qualities of success.

An additional surprise for the students was the appearance of one extra bicycle. Wong explained it was a gift for a student not yet a member of the mentoring program – someone who exemplifies the character and values of which the mentoring program and the school collectively aspire.

“I can’t thank these mentors enough for their work,” said Barretto. “It’s just amazing.”

Learn more about C.A.M.P. at houstonags.org/camp.

Related: Texas Aggie magazine story featuring C.A.M.P. in 2008 (pdf)