About 650 foster children and foster parents from 13 counties in South Georgia will soon have a special day of fun and food.

Valdosta’s First Baptist is partnering with Redland Baptist Church to host Christmastime at Camp Rock, where foster children and their guardians will get “to eat, play in manmade snow, interact with Disney characters, open Christmas presents, talk with Santa …,” said Drew Boswell, First Baptist minister to Children and Families.

(For the protection of the foster children, the date and place of the event is not included in this story.)

Pastor Jay Watkins of Redland Baptist said Department of Family and Children Services (DFACS) workers and their children have also been invited and are included in 650 expected.

“The DFACS workers expressed heavy caseloads, low funds and a need to try to do something special at Christmas, and they felt like this was an answer to prayer,” Boswell said. Watkins said activities include everything from a Christmas breakfast to a performance by a drama troupe from Cairo.

“We’ll have fun games with prizes, Bounce houses and slides, popcorn and train rides, horse and pony rides, a petting zoo, a live nativity scene …,” Watkins said. “We’ll have a Christmas corner where kids will get to decorate cookies and gingerbread houses and eat them.”

Watkins said 500 duffle bags will be given to the children. The adults will be treated to make-overs with facials, nails, haircuts, and make-up.

“At the close of the day in mid-afternoon, we’ll have a Christmas lunch with all the trimmings. Our plans are to have a gift for each child at the end of the day.”

Donations may be sent to Redland Baptist Church, 4880 Rocky Ford Road, Valdosta, GA 31601, or First Baptist Church, 200 W. Central Ave., Valdosta, GA 31601, or by calling First Baptist at 242-0484. The idea for the event came after the Valdosta Baptist Association hosted Camp Rock this summer at Camp Tygart for first-graders to rising sixth-graders. “We ministered to 150 kids who were from high-risk environments or who might never had been able to afford the camp setting,” Watkins said.

“After being with the kids for a whole week and seeing how their outlook on life can by changed by showing them love and Christ, we realized there was such a need for showing them how life can be different.”  At Camp Rock, the students received book bags with school supplies, outfits, shoes, and each child received a couple of toys. “We called it Christmas in July,” Watkins said. “The camp was top-notch. We wanted them to experience the best. They had crafts to do, Bible lessons, and we taught them dance.

“We cooked three hot meals every day. On Thursday night, all the staff formed a large line in the cafeteria. When the kids came into the room, the lights were out. Then the lights came on, and they saw it had been decorated for Christmas. Each kid received a hug from every person who cooked for them and counseled them. Some said they didn’t want to leave.”

 Watkins said 88 of the 150 children professed faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior this summer.

After learning that they now had brothers and sisters in Christ and were part of the family of God, one of the kids said, “You mean you’re my family?”