College Camp

Johnson & Wales 2009 College Awareness Summer Camp

The Nuñez Foundation is a nonprofit organization, founded by Norma Nuñez in 1996 in an effort to give children educational opportunities.  Since 1996, the foundation has provided special activity programs for children of all ages and scholarships for high school graduates. 

Every year the foundation gives deserving high school graduates Bright Lights Scholarships.  The scholarships give the awardees financial support for up to four years of undergraduate study.  Funds from the scholarships come from private and public donations.  The students are presented a check at the Fiesta de Unidad Brunch fundraiser held each year in the summer at La Cueva Restaurant in Aurora, Colorado.  Norma is the owner of this business.

In 2006, Nabor Nuñez, who was Norma’s husband, passed away.  Mr. Nuñez was well known and respected in the community.  As a result, many people sent donations in his honor to the Foundation.  The amount of $10,000 was raised.  The foundation got together with Johnson & Wales and formed the College Awareness Summer Camp.  It was designed to take place in a culinary educational institution in the honor of Mr. Nuñez’ culinary talents that he was known for in his restaurant.  Norma wanted to make the youth aware that they could make a good living in the culinary field.

The Summer Camp is designed for middle school children in Aurora.  It is a two and a half day camp event.  The purpose is to expose the students at this age to have a pre-college experience and plant a seed in their minds of what they need to do to prepare themselves in high school to get to college.  The classes are instructed by educators from different career backgrounds such as criminology, art, fire safety, history, as well as culinary.  The children are exposed to dorm life by spending two nights in the dorms  They are given physical activity and team building classes so that they don’t tire out from the more mentally challenged classes (I don’t know how to phrase this).  They are feed three full delicious, nutritious meals per day that is catered by the culinary school.  Snacks and drinks are readily available for in between meals.  We have plenty of adult volunteers for supervision both in the classroom and the dorms.