SoulGrow Finds a Home
Camp SoulGrow, a children’s camp, has been on the move in Montauk since last summer, but this week its founder, London Rosiere, announced that the camp has secured a permanent space in the west wing of Third House at the Montauk County Park. After lobbying enthusiastically for the space, Ms. Rosiere received final approval from Greg Dawson, the Suffolk County Parks Commissioner, last week.
Mr. Dawson said yesterday that Third House was one of the county’s highest priorities right now. The Department of Public Works is drawing up a plan for the park, he said, and funding is already in place for a sprinkler system for the expansive grounds.
Ms. Rosiere, a bundle of energy who threw off her sneakers in the rain to show a visitor her plans, will offer yoga and dance classes in one room and painting and music in another. Anything of interest to enough children will be added to the schedule, which will be posted monthly at campsoulgrow.org. She is hoping that by opening the “hub” of her camp at Third House, she can help revitalize the historic building.
Workshops will run daily, some consecutively, with many of them outdoors. “I want Montauk to be the classroom, and the people — community and business owners — the teachers,” she said. Shopowners have been very supportive, she added. SoulGrow, a 501c3 nonprofit, will gladly accept donations that will keep the camp free to all children ages 7 and up.
A certified personal trainer, Ms. Rosiere was in the fashion business in Manhattan in 2013, the year her mother died. She came out to Montauk to heal, she said, and found herself comforted by the community. “That’s what made me want to give back.” She said she has been using part of her inheritance to fund the workshops she has already hosted, among them pizza-making, an Easter event at Gurney’s Inn, painting parties, and a Mardi Gras party a few months ago at East by Northeast.
Her next fund-raiser will be at the Palm restaurant in East Hampton, with an open bar, complimentary menu, and raffles. Tickets, which cost $60, and more information about the camp are available on its website, campsoulgrow.org.