"Camp Gid D Up" Rides Again, Hosting Another Free Camp Retreat for Inner-City and At-Risk Youth

    LAKE HUGHES, CA, July 17, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- On Friday, July 16 through Sunday, the 18th, The IX Winds Ranch Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 organization, founded by Emmy-award winning veteran actor Glynn Turman (In Treatment/The Wire), and wife Jo-An, will host their 18th annual free western-style summer camp program 'Camp Gid D Up' for disenfranchised inner-city and at-risk youth on their 20 acre ranch just outside of Los Angeles. Nearly 30 youth attended the three day camp retreat where they will learn to ride horses, swim, rope steer heads, catch tadpoles and frogs, toss horseshoes, do arts & crafts, archery, ride Mighty Bucky (mechanical bull), hike, sleep under the stars, have campfires, sing songs, perform skits, share thoughts, make new friends, breathe fresh air, play and enjoy nature. The camp will commence with the campers attending the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo in the city of Industry where Glynn is the rodeo's Grand Marshall.

Camp Gid D Up provides an opportunity for inner-city and at-risk youth to experience a western lifestyle, learn and interact with nature in a desert biome and observe astronomy in an unpolluted environment.

"I want to be the best rider this year so I can ride in the Bill Pickett Rodeo," says 12 year-old, soon to be camper, Madison.

This feeling was echoed by several other campers last year during the retreat.

"We have been so blessed to be able to give back to so many youth over the years whom might never have an opportunity to experience summer camp," says Glynn. "We love what camp does for kids, the friendships and bonds, it changed both mine and Jo-An's lives for the better and we are so fortunate to be able to give others a chance to experience this joy and lifestyle. We love camp so much we are now National Board Members of American Camp Association, the countries largest and oldest camp accreditation organization."

Many of these campers have serious academic deficits, are from broken homes, have never been out of town and some have had delinquency problems. The camp introduces them to the concept of being good stewards of the environment who celebrate through recycling, replenishing and recreation.

The IX Winds Ranch Foundation and 'Camp Gid D Up' was founded as a promise at a peace conference by Emmy-award winning actor Glynn Turman and his wife, Jo-An to the late Mrs. Coretta King to bring peace among youth gangs after the riots of the 1990s. For more than 18 years, the Turman's have operated the camp through their non-profit IX Winds Ranch Foundation. Over 90% of the campers who have attended Gid D Up have gone on to college, technical school, the military or employment.

The campers will learn the physics of motion associated with roping, riding and hiking. They also learned about farming and wildlife while attending the retreat. Mentors and tutors are available to help increase basic academic and social skills. Because there are few city lights, campers will be able to map the constellations as ancient observers did so many years ago. They will have an opportunity to appreciate an agricultural way of life by interacting with farm animals and gardening, a first for many of the campers.

This year's campers are coming from Families for Children Inc., Hillcrest Dr. Elementary School 'Boys Uplifted Program and FAMLI Inc. This year's sponsors and contributors who make the camp retreat a success include: The James Pickens Jr. Foundation, Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation, Families for Children, The John P. Densmore Living Trust, Gizelle Pearline Production, inc., Keith and Dionne Williams, Temple University, Supervisor Michael Antonovich (SD5), John Wesley Houston, Earl and Denise Billings, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, FAMLI, Inc, Valerie and Michael Bean, CA Teachers Association, J Anthony Brown, The Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo, Erik Kilpatrick and Dr. Tony and Vanessa Calloway.

IX WINDS RANCH FOUNDATION "Camp Gid D Up", a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, provides unique opportunities to inner-city and at-risk youth. The foundation was founded by Emmy Award winning actor Glynn Turman and his wife, Jo-An, as a promise to the late Mrs. Coretta Scott King. Over 1,000 youth have attended the free multi-cultural western-style summer camp on a ranch owned by The Turmans. The youth learn to ride horses, rope, swim, toss horseshoes, do arts and crafts, hike, ride Mighty Bucky, archery, campfires, sleep under the stars, enjoy nature, and breathe fresh air. For sponsorship information visit: www.campgiddup.org or www.ixwindsranch.org.

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