The DeKalb Park District’s camp for troubled children is working to make a difference.

The camp began in early June to give DeKalb County juveniles the opportunity to stay out of jail and do something constructive throughout the summer.

The children in the program do various forms of community service during the week, such as maintaining surrounding parks.

“We’re getting a lot of work done,” said Brian Bratanick, head counselor of the summer camp and senior education major at NIU. “We’ve painted the softball fields at Katz Park and done general maintenance work in the parks, just beautifying them.”

Besides completing various community service tasks throughout DeKalb, the participants go on field trips every Friday. The trips are designed to give the children a chance to do things they have not been able to do in the past, Bratanick said.

“We just did a survey with the kids and they seem to be pretty positive about it,” said Dave Emanuelson, executive director of the DeKalb Park District.

The program is running smoothly, Emanuelson said.

“Like every new organization or program, we have our growing pains,” Emanuelson said.

The program was first proposed by Kurt Klein, presiding circuit judge for DeKalb County. The DeKalb Park District Board of Commissioners approved the program on March 13.

“Judge Kurt Klein needs to be given credit for this program. He decided that the kids need something to do in the summer,” Emanuelson said. “He put the funding together. I think he deserves all the credit.”

The attendance at the camp is mandatory for all the children who are assigned to the program by the court. The other option would be to send them to a juvenile delinquent center.

So far, attendance this summer has been extremely good, Bratanick said.

“Overall, this is the best place for them instead of being at a juvenile delinquent center,” Emanuelson said.