Summer Camp Car Wash Raises $1,535 For Foster Care Nonprofit

Campers with the Middletown Township Parks and Recreation Department’s summer camp program raised $1,535 for an area nonprofit during their annual charity car wash.

More than 300 campers participated in the fundraiser, which has become a tradition for the township’s summer recreation program.

The participants presented the check to Fostering Hope Lower Bucks County, an all-volunteer, donation-driven nonprofit. The organization supplies essential items at no cost to foster and adoptive families, including clothing, baby gear, toys, books, school supplies, furniture, and duffel bags.

“This truly is a kids helping kids fundraiser, and we are incredibly proud of our campers for making a difference in the lives of other children and families in our community,” said Interim Parks and Recreation Director Monica Tierney.

Tierney credited program coordinator Joanne Morelli and the Parks and Recreation staff with organizing the event. She called it “the most enthusiastic car wash you would ever see.”

Sarah Burstein, a representative for Fostering Hope Lower Bucks County, accepted the check on the group’s behalf and shared her thanks to the township, staff, and campers.

“We just want to say how incredibly grateful we are to the Middletown Township Parks and Recreation Department, the camp staff, and most importantly, all of the kids who took part in the car wash,” Burstein said. “There’s really something meaningful about knowing that these young people spending their time and energy during the summer getting involved and learning firsthand what it means to give back to their community.”

In addition to material goods, the nonprofit provides experiences aimed at giving foster children a sense of normalcy. Burstein noted the group supplies everything from clothing and toiletries to cell phones for teenagers to build independence, as well as birthday presents.

“Sometimes it’s not about giving them a thing, but letting them do something and experience something that makes them feel like their classmates and their neighbors and their friends who just want to feel like normal children,” Burstein said.

The group’s mission focuses on helping children in foster care feel secure, comfortable, and valued.

“The money raised really can help us provide so many different things for these children,” Burstein said, noting the donation will fund a wide range of needs for youth in the foster care system.