GOSHEN, Ind. -- Lily Endowment Inc., a private philanthropic foundation in Indianapolis, has given Goshen College a $1 million grant to help the school develop and implement summer camps for community youth.

The College has partnered with several Elkhart county agencies in order to provide youth with learning engagements in arts, sciences and communications that are designed to build social, emotional and academic skills.

The focus of these funds is based around building sustainable programming for the three-year grant period and beyond.

Executive Director of the college’s Center for Community Engagement, Dr. Erika Buhring, is grateful that the money came in, and that the camps have been made affordable.

“We are appreciative to have received the grant so that we can offer meaningful summer camp experiences for youth in the community for many years to come,” said Buhring.

Thanks to grant funding, camps are expected to cost $50 or less, and are available to all students ages five to 18.

CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Elkhart County, Kevin Dreary, is looking forward to a long-term relationship with Goshen College as one of its partnering organizations.

“We are committed to assisting Goshen College to recruit appropriate children and youth for the campus experiences, focusing especially on children that would most benefit from these enriching experiences and who might not otherwise not imagine being on a college campus or be able to participate in these opportunities,” said Dreary.