Breakthrough Butler looks back on summer camp, food program
As school goes back in session and a Butler nonprofit’s two summer programs have come to a close, organization founder Nick Yannotty wasted no time reflecting on what worked and what didn’t as he looks ahead to next year.
Breakthrough Butler recently finished its fourth year of Camp Breakthrough, a summer camp, on Friday, Aug. 22. Its other program, which offered food in five city parks and the East Butler Sports Complex through the summer, ended earlier in the month.
The programs were supported in part by city officials, as they voted to give $15,000 for the nonprofit to use. The funds were used primarily for staff wages, equipment, food and other general supplies, Yannotty said.
Mayor Bob Dandoy, who voted in favor of funding the nonprofit, said he heard no complaints about either program and even visited the camp.
“I went there a couple of days, and it was just amazing,” Dandoy said. “The kids are all having a great time, and there’s a lot of laughter and a lot of supervision.”
Yannotty said he considers Camp Breakthrough’s fourth year a success, especially after hearing positive feedback from campers and managing to keep more than half the 160 registrants on as regular attendees.
“There’s always some minor bumps when it comes to taking care of children, but the team at camp was made of some new and some experienced counselors. We really hit our stride by week two,” he said.
Each of the 11 weeks of camp had themes that impacted the activities, games and lessons offered to campers with the goal of teaching values like respect, the power of choices and learning to recover from mistakes.
In July, around 90 or so campers joined in on trips to a trampoline park, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium and Acrisure Stadium. Yannotty said these trips showed him the lessons being taught were sticking.
“It was such a cool experience to talk to the bus drivers, and they tell me that our campers were some of the most well-behaved kids they’ve had,” he said.
While activities were scheduled out, Yannotty said he routinely changed plans to let the campers do what they want. Looking ahead to next year, he said he wants to be more flexible and open-minded about what the campers want.
“In years past, basic games really took a backseat. This year, though, there were daily kickball games because the campers wanted to play,” he said.
Yannotty said, even though the camp was a success, he will continue to build on and try to make it even better next year. The stakes for him are even higher, he said, as he would like to commemorate Camp Breakthrough’s fifth year by hopefully bringing “a new sparkle” to it.
As for the second year of Breakthrough Butler’s summer food program, Yannotty said it did not meet his goal of 25 to 30 people per park per week, but he was aware that the goal was lofty to begin with.
“The team did everything we possibly could for the kids that showed up,” he said. “It’s a lot harder now than it was 10 or 15 years ago because a lot of them spend all day on social media or playing video games.”
According to Yannotty, the program saw an average of about 35 children per week across all parks. He said that attendance at any given park and day had “no consistent trend.”
Last year, the parks program served full meals to children, but it only was able to offer snacks this year. Next year, the program will keep serving snacks as Breakthrough Butler seeks to pivot its goals.
“Next year, we’re looking to make a more family-friendly atmosphere and encourage the kids to stick around longer,” Yannotty said. “There are good programs like (Summer Youth Cafe) that offer meals for the week. I think our focus will be on getting people to the parks.”
In pursuit of this, Yannotty said he’s thinking of ways to bring further awareness and excitement to the parks program. For awareness, he said he will explore connecting with local organizations who can help him get the word out.
Dandoy said he agrees with Yannotty’s plan to spread the word and hopes the city will vote to support the nonprofit next year. He also said he will look into the possibility of providing additional funds to help Breakthrough Butler advertise better.
As for now, though, Yannotty said he felt like he’s meeting his goal behind Breakthrough Butler.
“I just want to make sure (participants) have that person I needed growing up and that, with us, we can just let them be kids,” he said.
