Jacksonville, Fla.–The Rainbow Center for Women, Adolescents, Children and Families was recently awarded the 2003 Tarshia Butler Grant to send 18 children with HIV as well as three families who have children with HIV to Boggy Creek Gang Camp in Eustis, FL. The Tarshia Butler Grant is administered by First Coast Child Advocates, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that supports the Guardian Ad Litem program of the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court in Clay, Duval and Nassau Counties.
The purpose of the camp is to help children with HIV and their families better cope with the day-to-day challenges they face. The Boggy Creek Gang Camp programs include weeklong sessions and family weekends for these ill children. In addition to cabin counselors and activity specialists, the staff is comprised of medical professionals and experts in therapeutic counseling.
The University of Florida Rainbow Center for Women, Adolescents, Children and Families is northeast Florida’s only comprehensive, family-centered program serving children with HIV and their families. Established in 1988 on the Shands Jacksonville campus, the center offers state-of-the-art medical care, case management, psychological assessments and care as well as access to clinical trials, nutritional services, health education and risk reduction, women’s health and on-site childcare.