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Friday was the last day of this year’s Sheriff’s Academy for Youth, a summer day camp program provided by Sheriff James Woodruff in conjunction with the Troup County Parks and Recreation Department.

The camp takes place every year for two weeks, each week being tailored to a different age group.

The first week is for kids ages nine through 10, and the second week is for kids ages 11 through 12.

Each day the camp begins with a TCSO staff member or local expert teaching a topic.

After the morning session, campers go on field trips to fun places such as Great Wolf Lodge. “Each week, they learn about law enforcement, they learn about public safety. We do field trips, we go to Red’s skating rink, [and] we go to the Pine Mountain Wild Animal Safari,” said Sgt. Stewart Smith.

“We have been to Great Wolf Lodge, we’ve been to the rec center and played games and stuff. It’s about them learning what we do at the sheriff’s office and what our partners do, like LaGrange Police Department or the fire department. We have our state partners come in. [Friday,] the Georgia State Patrol is here.  [Thursday,] they saw the GBI and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources … it’s a chance to learn what all of us do.”

Smith said the camp serves as a way for the TSCO to reach out to the community and be seen as regular people as opposed to just police officers or deputies.

Additionally, he said it helps kids make friends and have fun.

Smith said the camp has a limit of 20 campers per week. Attending the camp costs $40 per week, which covers everything, including meals.

“I just appreciate the kids coming and the support of Sheriff Woodruff, [who is] always a big supporter of this program, and our corporate sponsors and the adult leaders who have worked with me,” Smith said. “The kids have been very well behaved this week, and we appreciate that.”

Smith said the following businesses made this year’s S.A.Y. camp a success: Kimble’s Food by Design, Chick-fil-A on Lafayette Parkway, Charlie Joseph’s on West Point Road, Great Wolf Lodge, Red’s 2 Skate Center, Wild Animal Safari in Pine Mountain and Kona Ice.