KEARNEY, Neb. — Five years after bringing a camp for abused and neglected children to the Kearney area, Dan and Sandy Fong are more passionate than ever about helping kids.

The Royal Family Kids’ Camp is a weeklong faith-based camp for children who have been abused or neglected and are living in foster care.

Last year, there were more than 150 such camps across the country, including seven in Nebraska.

Dan Fong, a journalism teacher at Kearney High School, said his wife, Sandy, a social work professor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, approached him with the idea of organizing a camp in the Kearney area.

“I’ve been doing this kind of work for 25 years, and when I saw this model I thought it was one of the best in terms of making a change to break the cycle of abuse,” Sandy said.

The Fongs attended a week of training in California to learn the ins and outs of running a summer camp.

Nearly a year after their training, they opened their first camp to 24 youths. This year, the camp will have 56 youngsters ages 7 to 11.

Most camp attendees are recommended by caseworkers from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

The Fongs said many young people say they enjoy being in a place where people love them and they feel safe.

“Our goal is just to give them the time of their life,” Sandy said.

Swimming is one of the favorite activities at camp, Dan and Sandy said. But campers also enjoy fishing, archery, arts and crafts, and going down the water slide.

Dan said it costs $40,000 to $45,000 to run a camp. They receive donations from churches, service organizations and individuals.

What makes Royal Family Kids Camps different from regular summer camp is the adult-to-youth ratio.

Dan said there is one adult on staff for every two children.

Also, because most children who attend camp have professional counselors they see regularly, camp counselors are called “big campers.” The camp is centered on family, so “camp grandmas” and “camp grandpas” attend camp to give the children encouragement and tell them stories.

Professional counselors, nurses and activity coordinators also attend the camp.

The camp relies solely on volunteers, so Dan and Sandy spend the year speaking and recruiting at churches and other local organizations.

They also celebrate every child’s birthday during camp. Each child receives a birthday box full of donated gifts.

Kids also receive a photo album filled with pictures of them taken during camp, a Bible and a personal CD player with the music they sing at camp.

Dan said those gifts serve as anchors for the children to hold on to when they’re struggling after camp. He said the camp isn’t the solution to the problems these kids face, but it is a step in the right direction.

“The whole idea of the camp is that moments matter,” Dan said. “The same way negative moments can impact your life, we know positive moments can have impact for the rest of your life.”

Dan and Sandy are now national camp trainers and will be traveling to Alabama this summer to train future camp directors.