North Light celebrates 75 years with history-themed camp

This month marks the 75th anniversay of a beloved neighborhood landmark in Manayunk.

Since 1936, the North Light Community Center on Green Lane has evolved from a drop-in center for boys to a community resource for the families of Manayunk, Roxborough, Wissahickon and Andorra.

Today, the center offers arts and recreation programs along with employment services and emergency support to families in need.

In celebration of the center’s birthday this year, North Light will be incorporating a series of history-themed activities into its summer day camp for kids beginning on July 5.

Familes with kids aged 3 through 12 still have time to sign up for the camp, which runs through Aug. 26. The cost is $38 for a full day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with additional costs for morning and afternoon hours.

“Even though it’s camp, there are still activities geared toward learning. It’s not just fun and games,” Karen Smith, director of marketing and communications for North Light said.

Smith says the center never turns anyone away and the staff works with families on a sliding scale for finances.

“No one is turned away because of the inability to pay. We come up with the money to pay the difference,” she said.

The financial support has enabled many parents to send their kids to camp who wouldn’t have been able to afford it on their own.

She added the center works on a very small budget throughout the year but manages to take the kids on a trip to the beach on the last day of camp.

To register for the camp, call Kathy Verbrugghe at 215-483-4800 ext. 110.

North Light will also be holding a carnival-style party on the site’s playground for the 75th anniversary on Sept. 16.