Community members whose financial donations enabled a summer camp for at-risk kids to move forward are to be thanked with a public display.

An exhibit of photographs and thank you cards by children who benefitted from the programme at Victor Scott Primary, will stand in the lobby of City Hall tomorrow until August 29.

The camp was open to children aged seven to 11. Many had learning gaps; some also had behavioural or emotional problems.

Mornings were spent revising such subjects as maths and grammar while afternoons were more focused on fun events outdoors.

A teacher at the school hailed the programme a success.

"If we had the funding to accommodate more children from neighboring schools we would have," she said.

"We work at Victor Scott and know what our students need. And we knew they needed this programme especially with the economy the way it is and the increase of violence in the community.

"We never felt entitled to anything, only that we had to exhaust every avenue to ensure our students were safe and productive during the summer."

A cash shortage caused staff to launch a public appeal to securing funding for the programme earlier this summer.

In the end, donations from individuals and businesses kept the camp alive.

"I am glad I came because it was fun," said nine-year-old Zah'sjah Tucker.

Jah-Von Morgan said the programme improved both his mathematics and reading skills but he also "learnt how to treat people a little bit nicer".

The 10-year-old said the camp "keeps me off the streets. I would be home watching TV, I wouldn't be doing [school] work".

Kani-Xah Dillworth Stovell, eight, thanked the programme's sponsors. She said she was particularly grateful for the $30,000 contribution from the XL Foundation that donation covered half of the programme's cost.

The aspiring teacher said the camp had taught her not to fight with her peers and respect people.

Yesterday she sent this message to the programme's donors: "Thank you for letting me come to this camp because you made me learn better and helped me to read better and [helped] with my science and typing.

"It helped me to be a better person instead of being a bad person that fights and shouts at people and calls people bad names."

Kani-Xah said she was looking forward to getting As and prizes from her teachers in the next school year.

Rodrica Campbell, 10, said she liked doing activities they wouldn't normally do in school such as swimming and going to the movies.

"[The camp] helped me with science, social studies and math. It was better than regular school because you got to understand it.

"In math I learnt how to multiply big numbers."

Szekiyah James said he would have been spending his time idly had the programme not been available.

"I would probably be in my bed, watching TV or outside. I came here to educate myself."

The 11-year-old learned how to read better and said the teachers "helped me a lot, made me look at the words and sound them out. They wouldn't rush me."

Nathan Morgan, also 11, said: "I think the people that helped sponsor the programme are very nice.

"I am happy I did the camp because I learnt and got more experience than I did before."