A grant from Healthy Haywood has helped launch an Outdoor Mission Camp for court-involved kids.

Positive Community Connections is designed to help keep kids off the streets and out of the courtrooms.

The directors are Ruffin and Jamie Shackelford, who operate Outdoor Mission Camp based in Maggie Valley.

The program began this past summer, with court-involved kids given the option to attend camp at OMC. Those who agreed spent a week climbing a challenge course, backpacking the Smoky Mountains, whitewater rafting the Nantahala and discovering God’s love through relationship.

The goal is to connect youth with caring adult mentors who will help involve them in a local youth group and give them a positive community connection to help them navigate towards adulthood. They will also meet as a larger group on a monthly basis for encouragement, adventure and to learn from Dr. Patricia Gorman Berry’s book “BrainWise,” a tool for learning how to manage emotions, control impulsive behavior and curb destructive behaviors.

OMC is looking for adult mentors in local church communities.

828.926.3253 or 828.456.7265.