DAPHNE — The African Universal Church Resource Center on Monday received more than $130,000, in a grant for its summer camp for at-risk children, from United Ways of Alabama.

“The grant provides funding for summer day camps for children who were impacted by one of the hurricanes in 2005, primarily Katrina,” Deborah Colburn, a special projects administrator of United Ways, said.

“Kids in this area have had to deal with repeat hurricanes and it affects them psychologically,” Colburn said. “You don’t realize how it impacts them until you talk to them.”

“Some kids actually had homes destroyed, a few still live in FEMA trailers, and the families are doing their own repairs,” Cassandra Boykin, business manager for the camp, said.

Initially, the United Ways had 10 camps and had given grants for approximately one-third of the funding, according to Colburn.

However, some states did not use all of their funding, so it was reallocated and United Ways narrowed it to four camps that received more money, Colburn said.

“I think Alabama has been very organized and has gotten the money to the people,” Colburn said.

The Youth Enrichment Activities Program, funded by United Way of Alabama and the American Red Cross, provides kids with age-appropriate activities, according to Colburn.

Camp officials plan to take the kids to see “Hurricane on the Bayou” at the IMAX Theatre at The Exploreum in Mobile and talk to them about preparedness and what they can do, according to Boykin.

Thanks to the grant, some kids who otherwise lacked the financial backing may learn more about hurricane issues, Boykin said.

“Without funding, a lot of parents can’t afford summer camps; it’s expensive,” Boykin said.

Parents were paying $50 per child per week, according to Boykin. With the grant, there is no fee.

“There’s a lot more that we can do now for the kids with this grant,” Boykin said. “If we wanted to take a field trip, the parents would pay five or six dollars, and the camp would absorb the rest.”

Last week, campers went to Pensacola to see the Blue Angels fly and on Friday they will travel to New Orleans to visit the Aquarium of the Americas, Boykin said.

“For many of these kids, they’re doing something they’ve never had an opportunity to do before,” Colburn said.

The camp has 90 kids enrolled between the ages of 3 and 14, according to Boykin.

It was scheduled to end Aug. 3; but because of the grant, the camp may stay open until school restarts, she said.