2025: Prepare Kids For Career Success
Is your child or teenager looking for their first or next job? Are they thinking about what their future career looks like? Do they know their passion can be turned into a business or entrepreneurial venture?
Empowering Youth Of All Abilities: SoF's Career and Entrepreneurship Camp
Sponsors of the Future (SoF) empowers youth of varying abilities by providing hands-on learning opportunities and the tools and resources needed to jumpstart their transition to high school and development into adulthood -- hosted at the Academy Science Center alongside the Varnum House Museum yard and Carriage House, located in historic East Greenwich, RI.
Building upon the success of the 2023 Life Skills Boot Camp and 2024 Career & Skills Camp, this year's camp will continue to equip participants with essential career and entrepreneurial skills through interactive workshops, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
What We'll Cover on Day 2
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Takeaways: After an eventful first day, campers will discuss what they learned and found interesting from visiting the various shops.
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Resume & Business Card Finalization: Before the Summer Showcase, campers will be able to spend time finalizing their business cards and resumes, which they can hand out at the showcase to practice networking.
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Boat Rides: A camp favorite, we will head to the harbor where the campers will be able to take a tour of the harbor and learn what it’s like working with boats.
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Exploring Technology Careers: The New England Institute of Technology (NEIT) will come to the Academy Science Center to speak to our campers about different career opportunities within the technology sectors. NEIT will also be joining SoF at the Summer Showcase.
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For the Summer Showcase: Campers will head over to Ye Olde Bleubell Cottage & Garden early to have lunch again from Twisted Pizza (East Greenwich) and D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches - West Warwick and help prepare for the event (going over campers’ individual roles, practicing introductions & handing out business cards, etc.)
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Kids will also hear from global entrepreneur and supporter of Sponsors of the Future, Yeaseul Park who is the CEO & Co-Founder of Orange Biomed. Kids will learn about the M.A.P. Your Health movement and have the opportunity to share their own stories about how they are taking action to be healthier!
Summer Showcase 2025
From 12:00 to 3:00 PM on 08/22, we will wrap up our Career & Entrepreneurship Skills Camp with our first Summer Showcase, a town-wide celebration hosted at Ye Olde Bleubell Cottage & Garden (41 Rocky Hollow Rd, East Greenwich, RI 02818).
At the camp, kids will be able to get hands-on experience networking and working in different roles. Campers will be assigned a role for the showcase based on their interests and strengths, such as decoration, selling raffle tickets, handing out drinks & food, and more.
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Open to all, the Summer Showcase will include food and feature various activities, including local youth entrepreneur presentations, live music/DJ booth, interactive games, food, arts & crafts, and a "Support a Dream" wall where attendees can pledge support or write encouraging messages for the campers who are preparing for the working world, discovering their passions, and getting equipped with essential tools for success.
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Parents and the whole community are encouraged to join the event, anytime from 12:00 PM -3:00 PM, and celebrate our campers’ accomplishments and efforts.
A big thank you to all the local businesses and entrepreneurs who helped make it possible and who stand with us in our mission to empower students as they prepare for their future careers.
This year, camp is setting sail for even more fun and learning! ​
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On Friday, August 22nd, the East Greenwich Harbormaster will give SoF campers the opportunity to go on a real boat adventure again -- and those joining for the Summer Showcase might have a chance to join them too...​
The home base for Sponsors of the Future's Career & Entrepreneurship Camp will be at the Academy Science Center and Varnum House Museum yard again in 2025!
The Academy Science Center, located at 60 Church Street (across from the Varnum House Museum yard at 57 Peirce Street in East Greenwich) will be the home base for the Career & Entrepreneurship Camp this year.
Get Financial Resources from BankNewport Vice President/EG Branch Manager!
Campers from the 2023 Life Skills Boot and 2024 Career & Entrepreneurship Camps might remember Angela Biederman, Vice President and Branch Manager of BankNewport.
Continue to sharpen financial skills this year, and understand how money is involved when they are an entrepreneur or in the work world. From investing to earning, it’s also never too early to start thinking about savings and retirement too!
Twisted Pizza Restaurant Name Your Pizza Contest!
Get ready for some cheesy fun! Local pizzeria and restaurant, Steve Filippou's Twisted Pizza, is sponsoring us to host an exciting "Name Your Pizza" contest. Campers can let their pizza-naming skills shine! Each camper will receive a Twisted Pizza menu to spark their ideas. Together, they'll collaborate to choose a new pizza name that we'll propose to add to the menu as a special item to share with the community!
They’ll wrap up the day and enjoy free pizzas from Filippou’s Twisted Pizza and subs from D’Angelo’s.
​Ye Olde Bleubell Cottage & Garden
Timeless finds and furnishings for the heart of the Home and Garden!
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Sponsors of the Future looks forward to showcasing campers accomplishments during the Summer Showcase on Friday August 22nd at Ye Olde Bleubell Cottage & Garden.
Exploring Different Careers & Entrepreneurship Paths -
Gain Hands-On Experiences & Networking
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Over two days, our campers will be immersed in a fun-filled and educational experience. They will go through a resume and business card workshop, practice interacting with business owners, and learn about various careers!
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What we'll cover on Day 1
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Resume & Business Card Development: At the Academy Science Center, campers will kick off the day with resume building and business card design interactive skills training.
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Wickford Shops: Campers will visit various shops on Wickford Street, including The Kayak Center, Shayna’s Place, Dollar Store, Ice Cream Place, Pink Parasol Boutique, Flatfish Cottage, and others, where they will be able to see different career paths and meet local entrepreneurs.
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Lunch at the Beach: Campers will have a break for lunch at the beach, thanks to support from Steve Filippou's Twisted Pizza in East Greenwich and D'Angelo Grilled Sandwiches - West Warwick! They will be able to have some fun on the playground before heading back to the shops for more exploring!
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Hearing from Local Businesses: After lunch, the campers will go back to explore additional shops in Wickford, and then head back to the Science Center to wrap up the day.​
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Our Career & Entrepreneurship Skills Camp focuses on career and entrepreneurship advancement for young adults of all abilities, including the neurodivergent community, with the goal of bridging the gap between the classroom and the real world. The event will include fun and educational activities (such as creating crafts, making their own business cards, dancing and sports experiences) with speaker sessions, career/entrepreneurship-focused workshops, and field trips (such as getting a boat ride, learning from tech centers, and visiting shops), showcasing a wide range of startup and career paths.
For the career and entrepreneurship experience, SoF plans to include financial literacy and real-life business experiences for the participants to produce and sell products, which will help them better understand money exchange and profit margins (revenues and costs). We have included stations for students to explore different areas and set up field trips to tour local businesses, partnering with organizations such as vocational schools, programs with robotics and emerging technology associations, craft fairs and shop owners.
Incorporated in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, SoF is dedicated to facilitating strong connections between local communities and businesses to create a more significant impact in neurodivergent communities. SoF creates community programs for all with the mission to connect the different stakeholders to form ecosystems that support the neurodivergent community and others, through education, advocacy, and inclusion.
In July 2023, Sponsors of the Future kicked off its first annual summer program, a Life Skills Boot Camp, collaborating with businesses from the local East Greenwich community to jump-start FAST learning! The camp taught participants about critical skills such as the importance of self-control and the decision-making process when dealing with health, food, and money.
Our 2024 and 2025 Career & Entrepreneurship camps are providing young adults with the resources and skills needed for career advancement and growth while teaching them how to turn their passions into businesses. We hope to continue to create many more programs like this to work towards our mission of education, advocacy, and inclusion for a brighter, more independent future, not only for the kids but also for the community.
Testimonials from Parents and Sponsors:
Angela Biederman,
VP / Branch Manager, Bank Newport
The kids were so engaged and it was such a great experience to host them on their journey learning about important life skills!
Medea Sargsyan,
Yoga Instructor
Thank you for the opportunity to be part of such a great event…teaching yoga to beautiful souls brings me great joy.
Yeaseul Park,
CEO & Co-Founder, Orange Biomed
I am so happy for Sponsors of the Future and their success during their first-ever Life Skills Boot Camp last month!
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Thank you to All Supporters of SoF
