A Spotlight on Hope: Royal Family KIDS Camp on News 12 New Jersey
Some invitations feel like more than just an opportunity. They feel like confirmation that the right people are finding each other at exactly the right time.
That's how I felt when I was invited to represent For The Children on Spotlight New Jersey, the long-running feature segment on News 12 New Jersey hosted by the remarkable Della Crews. As President of For The Children, I am always grateful for opportunities to share our mission and the life-changing work being done for children in foster care. But this invitation felt particularly special.
Della has spent 25 years using her platform to shine a light on the nonprofits and community organizations doing meaningful work across the Garden State. You can feel it the moment you meet her: this is not just a job for her. She genuinely wants the world to know about the good being done in her community, and she brings the kind of warmth and professionalism to every conversation that immediately puts you at ease.
Her team was gracious, prepared, and clearly committed to telling stories that matter. I am deeply grateful that they made room for the story of For The Children and gave me the opportunity to share why our mission matters so much.
My New Jersey Friends
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I didn't walk into that studio alone, and I'm glad I didn't.
With me were two New Jerseyans who represent everything we love about this work: Robin Wayman and Natalia Lopez.
Robin has been a partner with For The Children for years, both as a volunteer and as a supporter. She is exactly the kind of person our mission runs on. Robin heard about children in foster care, felt something stir in her heart, and said yes. Her presence in that studio was a reminder that this work is carried by people who are faithful, generous, and fully invested in kids they may never even meet by name.
Natalia Lopez is the director of Royal Family KIDS Camp in Wayne, New Jersey. She leads one of the most established camps in our network, and her dedication to the children she serves is evident in everything she does. Having her voice in that conversation brought the kind of on-the-ground credibility that no statistic can fully capture. She knows these campers, and she knows what camp means to them.
What We Shared About Royal Family KIDS Camp
For anyone who caught that segment and is visiting us here for the first time, welcome! We're so glad you're curious.
Royal Family KIDS programs are a national network of church-led, volunteer-powered camps and mentoring programs designed specifically for children ages 6 to 12 in foster care. These are children who have often experienced significant relational trauma. Many have never had a birthday celebrated in their honor. Some have felt like an afterthought for most of their lives. Camp exists to change that, one week at a time.
Across the United States, more than 200 Royal Family KIDS Camp programs are hosted each year by local churches, supported by 20,000 volunteers who are screened and trained give their time, energy, and hearts to make sure every child at camp is seen, celebrated, and safe.
In New Jersey, the Wayne camp has been running for over 20 years through Calvary Temple International. That kind of longevity doesn't happen by accident. It happens because a community of people keeps showing up, year after year, because they believe these children deserve consistency, joy, and the experience of being genuinely cared for.
During a Royal Family KIDS Camp week, children receive one-on-one attention from trained volunteer counselors, participate in activities many have never experienced before, and are surrounded by an environment intentionally designed to provide safety and opportunity for healthy relational development. Every camper is honored on their birthday during the week, regardless of when their actual birthday falls. Every child hears that they matter. And we believe that every moment at camp can be a moment that matters.
Royal Family KIDS Mentoring: Extending the Impact
Camp is five days. But a child in foster care needs connection all year.
That's why For The Children also offers a structured mentoring program, pairing children with trained volunteer mentors who commit to a consistent, caring relationship over time. In a season of life defined so often by instability and loss, a mentor can become one of the most stabilizing forces in a child's world. Someone who shows up. Who remembers. Who stays.
Together, Royal Family KIDS Camp and Mentoring programs create something powerful: the beginning of a story where children discover that they are worth knowing, worth investing in, and worth loving.
An Invitation to New Jersey Churches and Volunteers
We left the News 12 studio feeling encouraged and eager.
There are children in foster care across New Jersey who have not yet experienced Royal Family KIDS Camp or Mentoring. We want to change that, and we can't do it without the local church community.
If you lead or attend a church in New Jersey and have felt a pull toward helping children in foster care, learn more today about starting a program or volunteering where you live.
My heartfelt thanks go out to Della Crews and her team at News 12 New Jersey, as well as Robin and Natalia, for using their voices to speak on behalf of children!
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