What's Summer without Summer Camp?
The best of memories - and the best of friends - are made at summer camp. This is the time for children to explore something new or further fuel a burgeoning passion. Here are two of our favorites - plus one for Mom!

Don-e-Brook Farms
What child doesn't want to ride a horse? Fulfill their fantasy with Don-e-Brook Farms' flexible summer sessions. Riders of every level will expand their skills in either English or Western styles, taking part in formal lessons, trail rides and games on horseback. Kids will cool off with daily doses of popsicles and are encouraged to bring carrots for their mighty steed.

Don-e-Brook Farms summer Camp begins June 14 with the first session and continues until August 2. Sessions run Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; 297-7669
www.donebrookfarms.com/summercamp

College of the Canyons' Junior High Summer Institute Day Camp
The Junior High Summer Institute (JSI) at College of the Canyons is a creative, fun and educational alternative to traditional day camp for middle-school students. The career exploration camp is open to students entering seventh and eighth grade and provides hands-on opportunities in the areas of engineering and fabrication, special effects, welding and musical theatre. New to JSI this summer are tracks focused on nursing and science, video gaming and a full week of robotics. The week-long curriculum is offered over four different weeks. The more popular tracks are repeated over the summer, allowing students to register in multiple weeks without missing out on a popular track.

JSI will run Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., from July 6 through July 30 and will consist of four, one-week sessions at $125 per week, per child.

An extended morning care option is available as early as 8 a.m. each day at an additional cost of $25 per child, per week. Scholarships are available; 362-3300
www.canyons.edu/juniorhigh

"The Whole Shebang" Basic Knitting Discount Package at Stitch Cafe
Summer camp's not just for kids; longer, less-hectic days mean that you should have a chance to schedule some personal development, too. We love Stitch Cafe's new discounted class bundles, which combine multiple sessions at a lower price ("The Whole Shebang" includes Basic Knitting 1 through 5 for $135; that's a $45 savings.). Our goal is to finish the five-session course before chilly fall winds mock us for only finishing half of our newly-knitted scarf, but you have a whole year to complete the classes once your sessions are purchased; 818-890-1234
www.stitchcafe.com

The Santa Clarita Valley Facilities Foundation Paving the Way for New School Development
Working with prominent community leaders, the Santa Clarita Valley Facilities Foundation was established in 1998 with a mission to find a way to build the much-needed Golden Valley High School. Today, this non-profit public benefit corporation is ready to bring that same level of success to Castaic, and is awaiting confirmation by an independent consulting group on the viability of the foundation's property in order to commence development of a new high school.

Over the years, the foundation has supported several other projects, including a key segment of the Cross-Valley Connector, the City of Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, Sierra Vista Junior High School Boys & Girls Club facility and extension of the city trails system.

Through the stewardship of the foundation, our community has found a way to improve funding for our schools, reduce the taxpayers' burden and give our children the facilities and quality education they deserve. The Facilities Foundation is proud to partner in Santa Clarita's future, bringing outside assistance to the complex world of school funding.

The 2009 Annual Report to the community is available online at
www.scvfacilitiesfoundation.org.