By JaMya Rogan and Ashley Hampton

In recognition of Father’s Day on June 19, student reporters, JaMya Rogan and Ashley Hampton, at Camp REACH asked more than 40 teens/Camp REACH participants why the day was important. Here are some of their responses.

Amare Starling, 14, Silverdale Baptist Academy: “The Bible says to honor your father and mother, thats why it’s important.”

Jamichael Brown, 14, Southern Preparatory Academy: “Because it allows us to spend time with our fathers.”

Brie Mcglone, 13, Chattanooga Christian School:

“It’s a day of recognition to honor all the sacrifices that our fathers have made.”

LaToria Battle, 14, The Howard School: “I think Father’s Day is important because it acknowledges and celebrates fathers in the world, and it gives us a chance to appreciate them.”

Jamison Malone, 14, Chattanooga Prep: “Some people didn’t grow up with a father, and you should be appreciative of what you have.”

Arion Ray, 14, The Howard School: “It’s important to celebrate the fathers who raised their child since they were born, and to celebrate how long they’ve been a father.”

Camp REACH, the Mary Walker Foundation’s literacy camp, is founded on the concepts of Respect, Earn, Achieve, Citizenship and Hard Work. It features instruction in leadership skills, basic life and work skills, vocational skills (house painting), music and art, journalism, and transportation logistics through a partnership with Network Transport in East Brainerd. 

Mary Walker was born in 1848 and died in 1969. She enrolled, at the tender age of 115, as a student in a yearlong program–Chattanooga Area Literacy Movement–learning to read, write, do addition and subtraction. 

Known as the “Nation’s Oldest Student,” Walker has been recognized and honored locally, regionally, and nationally. During her long life, she inspired a commitment through determination and grit to grow and be better, regardless of her years and station in life. 

The Mary Walker Foundation exists today to carry that mindset into the Chattanooga community, specifically through literacy and hard work.

Learn more about the Mary Walker Foundation by visiting http://www.marywalkerfoundation.org/. Any seeking to support this local endeavor may call (423) 267-2313 or make online contact at [email protected].