This Summer Camp is Teaching the Diversity in All of Us

At the Lealman and Asian Neighborhood Family Center’s Campers, kids are taught to appreciate the world around them.

For children who might not know the world beyond Florida, exploration begins at summer camp. The Lealman and Asian Neighborhood Family Center’s 8-week summer program is a celebration of diversity around the United States.

“It struck me that, hey, we’re all immigrants,” said Donna McGill, executive director of LANFC.

In past years, the camp has been named “Summer Around the World.” But McGill noticed that the children coming to LANFC didn’t know much about any state outside of Florida. For McGill, it was important to educate children about the range of identities within their home country.

Most of the campers, who are second- or third-generation immigrants, have not traveled outside the state.

Angelo Paloma, 11, of Seminole, has been a LANFC camper for years. He likes to hang out with friends, cook and eat food from different states and play at the pool on sunny days.

His mother, Ana Paloma, was born in Mexico and moved to the United States as a teenager. She is a pre-K teacher and assists at LANFC’s summer camp to earn extra money for her family of five. The farthest she and her children have traveled is to Savannah, Georgia, and Mexico to visit family.

Ana Paloma admires LANFC’s initiative to teach the campers about the United States. “We want the kids to learn that this country is being made by immigrants; it’s what it is because of immigrants.”

Like McGill, Ana Paloma emphasizes that LANFC staff teaches the importance of empathy.

“That’s the most important thing: that my kids can go to a summer camp where they can have fun and play and not have to worry about anything else. What really matters is seeing that friendship, and that sense of community. Being really close together. Even the staff, we are just a few people, but I feel like we can trust each other.”

LANFC fosters a tight-knit and supportive community through their longtime staff members. McGill credits the strength of the summer camp to her dedicated team members, “I have the best staff,” she said. “These people are just so caring. We’re tough, but we’re also loving, and the kids keep coming back every year.”

Thuat Truong has worked at LANFC for 20 years. Before coming to Florida, she was a geography professor in Vietnam. Truong works closely with the local Vietnamese community, helping with anything from English lessons to paperwork. Sometimes they may just want to see a friendly face.

Her relationship with families doesn’t end when children graduate and leave Florida, or when families no longer need help.

“They know it’s their second home,” said Truong.

LANFC offers immigration support, food pantry donations, family resources and after-school childcare.

Primarily funded by the Juvenile Welfare Board, LANFC serves younger community members with English language lessons, after-school activities and camp.

McGill and her staff’s mission has been and always will be to teach kids respect for their community. Campers are taught to appreciate the world around them. Learning about the uniqueness of each state is just a start to teaching children the importance of diversity.

“One day I will visit all states,” said an enthusiastic Angelo Paloma.

Read the article and see the photos as originally posted at https://www.tampabay.com/photos/2025/08/08/this-summer-camp-is-teaching-diversity-all-us/