Free Sand Hills youth program in ninth year

The Sand Hills Community Center Summer Youth Program marks its ninth year with a two-week session beginning June 1.

The free program “gives dozens of students the opportunity to experience activities that involve singing, dancing, painting, financial literacy and athletic training which includes daily snacks and a t-shirt,” according to a news release.

Instructors include legendary ballerina Karen Brown, the program’s founder; Russell Joel Brown, C. Keith Brown, A Nick Brown, Baruti Tucker and Tony Aaron Hambrick.

The program is open to boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 14 or sixth through eighth graders from Augusta’s underserved communities.

The two-week session will be from 1 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at the center, 2540 Wheeler Road. A culminating program is scheduled for 5 p.m. June 12.

• Families are encouraged to register early, as space may be limited.
• Registration Link: https://www.augustaga.gov/sandhillssummercamp
• Once registered families will receive a link to set up an interview appointment.
• Interviews begin the week of May 22, 2026.
• For more information and registration details, send an email to sandhillssummeryouthcamp@gmail.com , or call (803) 265-5659 or visit the City of Augusta Recreation and Parks Department website.

The program is presented by En Pointe Plus Dance Mastery Institute, the City of Augusta, the Augusta Commission, Augusta Recreation & Parks Department, and the Augusta Richmond County Board of Education. The program was founded by Creative and Program Director Karen Brown. Ms. Brown, a native of Augusta, Georgia, is a legendary ballerina, Dance Theatre of Harlem legacy artist, master ballet pedagogue, and the first African-American woman to lead a large, historic classical ballet company in the United States, serving as Artistic Director of Oakland Ballet from 2000 to 2006. She was hired as an Assistant Professor of Ballet at the University of Missouri, Kansas City Conservatory in 2020.

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