Three days of jumping on trampolines in Staten Island, going on rides in Coney Island, and swooshing down water slides in Long Island. Three days of forgetting about the uncertainty and stress of not having a permanent home.

For 25 kids who live in shelters in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn, these three days were a summer of fun.

Thanks to the Tanger Hillel at Brooklyn College, a UJA core partner, children ages 5 – 12 visited movies, an animal farm, and a waterfront museum in addition to their other travels around New York. Seven Hillel student volunteers staffed the trips and also prepared breakfast, lunch, and snacks for the campers. This is the tenth summer Tanger Hillel has run the mini-camp.

“This mini-camp keeps kids’ minds off stress they shouldn’t be carrying,” says Cindy Ann Ragbirsingh, a recreation specialist at Urban Strategies, Inc. , a nonprofit  that provides social services and transitional housing for people in need in Brooklyn.

“A lot of the kids take on their parents’ stress,” Cindy adds, noting that families come to the shelters because they’ve lost their homes to unemployment, a devastating fire, or a death of a parent. Families typically stay in the shelters between six months to a year before they are placed in more permanent housing.

“I’ve been a Hillel volunteer with the mini- camp for about four years, I enjoy the children,” says Dalia, who attended Brooklyn College as an undergrad and now attends as a graduate student for math education. “I was brought up to volunteer as part of Judaism, and that we give back not just to our community but other communities as well.”

On the last day of camp, the volunteers gave the kids goody bags to help prepare them for going back to school.

“Colored pens and pencils, post-its, emoji sharpeners — they really liked those — and small school supplies they may need,” Dalia says.

The children also left with something else.

“Mini-camp gives them nice memories they never forget,” Cindy says. “They wish it could be more days.”