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A University of Maine athlete has been inspired to share his knowledge of physical fitness with underprivileged children by founding his own Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit called Strong Mind, Strong Body Inc., and establishing a summer day camp for children in the Bangor area.
Roosevelt Boone, a fourth-year kinesiology and physical education student and UMaine football player, chose the cause of youth wellness after learning about it in classes.
“In class, we deal with childhood obesity all the time. It’s a main topic of discussion,” he said. “I figured, what better to do for that than to start with the youth, give them something to do daily in the summer time that’s free.”
SMSB’s first community initiative will be a free summer day camp at the UMaine campus for students ages 10 to 17, focusing on nutrition and physical activity. The camp will run for just three or four weeks this year, as it is a new program. Transportation to and from Bangor, Brewer, Old Town, Veazie and Orono will be provided for as many as 75 campers.
“We are hoping for 75, but if we get 35 kids, that’s good enough for the first year,” Boone said.
Boone has worked both athletic and hockey camps at the University of Maine in the past and hopes to provide a more affordable and educational alternative.
“Those programs are rather expensive and a lot of local students don’t get an opportunity to participate in that,” he said.
The SMSB camp’s length will depend on fundraising and finances, as Boone wants to cover all costs of attendance for the campers. The projected cost of the program is $50,000 to $55,000.
According to Boone, SMSB is pursuing “any grant that funds programs for obesity and nutrition among youth.” A graduate student in the UMaine Business School, Stephanie Palmer, is assisting him with the funding applications.
“Hopefully the grants come through, because it’s a good cause,” Boone said. “Maybe we could get a donation from the senior class of just a dollar each, especially if people could donate through Bear Bucks. I’m trying to set that up.”
SMSB’s fundraising is largely based in Washington, D.C. where Boone’s mother and the rest of the Board of Directors have been selling Krispy Kreme donuts and a book called “The Obama Phenomenon” by Ray A. Coleman to raise funds. Boone has also sent fundraising letters to local businesses. He hopes to create more awareness in the Greater Bangor area as summer approaches.
“We’ve sent out a press release on campus, hopefully it will be picked up in some newspapers like the Bangor Daily,” said Boone.
According to Boone, the camp will provide paid and volunteer opportunities for UMaine students during the summer.
“I’m not worried about making a salary because it’s the onset of the program, but I want to make sure I pay my staff because I know it’s difficult to find a job here in the summer,” he said. “That’s 10 jobs that Orono didn’t have last summer.”
Boone admits that starting a nonprofit has been a large undertaking and credits his success to friends and family, on campus and in Washington, D.C., who have helped him meet his goal.
“I’ve been working on it since last July and it is so much work,” he said. “My mother and some of her coworkers have helped me with the paperwork and legal documentation.”
Boone has been collaborating with several UMaine campus departments to make his vision a reality. He has previously volunteered as a Black Bear mentor and the Bodwell Center has helped him to make connections he needs.
“Lisa Morin from the Bodwell Center turned me on to the Innovation Center and sent me a flyer for one of their events,” Boone said. “I went to that and ever since then I’ve been in contact with Jesse [Moriarity].”
Boone is applying for office and administrative space at the Foster Student Innovation Center. He has also received help from Campus Recreation Director David Mahan in the form of free recreational and athletic facilities for the camp, including the Lengyel Gymnasium, Student Recreation and Fitness Center and Maine Bound Adventure Center.
Boone, who will be taking graduate courses at UMaine next year, hopes to grow SMSB and the summer camp program.
“I’ll continue it here for as a long as possible, but my dream would be to have at least 10 other locations throughout the country, starting here and obviously back in D.C. where I’m from. For whatever university is willing to integrate this into their summer routine, I can offer this program,” he said. “I’m expecting to learn a lot from this first one. I will do some things wrong, but I look forward to learning and growing a lot from here.”
Though Boone said he cannot prepare for all the challenges of running this camp, he has put many hours into planning a comprehensive curriculum for the program.
“We have a tentative schedule with rock climbing, the ropes course, fitness at the Rec Center, soccer, football, basketball, softball, tennis and arts and crafts,” he said. “We’ll have a classroom session each day with units on nutrition, hygiene, everything included in wellness.”
Boone said he hopes his campers will set and reach goals related to fitness and wellness over the course of the camp, but their learning experience will be the best marker of success.
“For it to be a success I want the children to develop relationships with the counselors, to retain the information they receive about wellness, and to take advantage of the opportunity because it’s free for them,” he said.
The camp will also have a character building aspect, according to Boone. He hopes participants will have a memorable experience and create strong friendships.
“I want them to develop great relationships with one another,” Boone said. “When you go to a summer camp and make new friends there is no telling who you can meet — those relationships last a lifetime.”
