Mission Statement

The mission of Sawyerville, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, is to create opportunities for children and youth in Hale County through free summer programs, mentoring, and scholarships. All of our programs work to serve God, broaden the horizons of participants and staff, improve race relations in Alabama, and enrich the lives of those living in poverty.

History

1980s — Episcopal parishes in the Black Belt worked together to offer a day camp for children in the area
1990s — The day camp officially began in 1993, and the project was passed on to the youth of the diocese in 1996
2009 — Summer Camp grew from one to two camp sessions
2013 — Summer Camp grew from two to three camp sessions 
2014 — Sawyerville Summer Learning (originally Yellowhammer Learning Program) began
2017 — First Person2Person race relations workshop, first mentoring program for Greensboro High School students, and first scholarships awarded to former campers and counselors
2018 — Sawyerville celebrated 25 years!
2019 — Sawyerville, in partnership with United Way of West Alabama, launched JumpStart, a pre-kindergarten boot camp
2021 — ​Summer Learning grew from having two grades to having four grades
2022 — First session of our Club 14 program for rising 9th graders.​

Hale County, Alabama

Sawyerville serves Hale County, AL where there are fewer resources and opportunities available to residents.
According to the 2021 Alabama Kids Count Data Book, 
  • 34.1% of children in Hale County live in poverty, and 21.7% live in extreme poverty, meaning 50% below the poverty threshold.
  • 28.5% of children in Hale County report food insecurity.
  • 34.2% of fourth-grade students are proficient in reading, and 5% are proficient in math.
  • Hale County ranks 59th out of 67 Alabama counties when considering health, education, safety, and economic security. 
​There is something extraordinary and wonderful about having a place you belong, a community of the children of God that accepts and values you as you are.  The Sawyerville ministry is made of hundreds of parts and people – from bus rides to writing projects, from drum circles and energetic songs to quiet reflections and tearful goodbyes and stories that shape the lives of campers and staff alike – but it’s the belonging that makes it magical, a communion of unlikely saints who come together to seek and find Jesus in each other, and so find Jesus in themselves.

-The Right Reverend Kee Sloan, eleventh Bishop of Alabama