Chocademy excites participants at grand finale

The Savannah Hotel, Ilorin, Kwara State capital, was alive recently, as no fewer than 2,700 fun-loving school children, parents and residents stormed the venue to witness the grand finale of the Cowbell Chocolate Summer Camp, which started earlier this year in Makurdi.

The summer camp, also called Chocademy, is a funfair educational programme that accommodates pupils/students of primary and secondary schools and designed to occupy and teach them various skills during the summer holidays.

Speaking at the event, the Brand Manager of the company Kingsley Onuoha, informed that, “Chocademy is designed to bring together children with diverse cultural, religious affiliations and social classes to a healthy, moral, social learning field, where aerobic exercises, knowledge-sharing, moral education activities will be undertaken among others.”

He, therefore, advised mothers and other caregivers to always key into the initiative by engaging their children and wards.

“Spending the summer holidays learning outside of a customary school environment can help pupils and students get ahead of their classmates when they return to school, as skills acquired during the programme could enhance their leadership, athletic and academic capacities,” he noted.

Both participants and their parents had a great time at the venue, as they all took part in series of activities, ranging from dancing competitions to games. Gifts were won and prizes given to winning contestants, all of which added to the fun and splendour of the grand finale.

One of the parents, Mrs Busayo Afolabi, who spoke at the event, expressed her excitement and gratitude to Promasidor, makers of Cowbell Chocolate and sponsors of the initiative. While commending their efforts at empowering children during summer holidays, she said, “my two children have really improved in terms of their social and moral standards; they look forward to meeting their friends in the camp and playing educational games together. I also believe all the children here have gained something significant from this initiative. It is indeed a wonderful initiative and I must thank them for their effort.”

She, however, appealed to the organisers not to relent in her efforts and enjoined them to bring the camp back to Ilorin in subsequent editions.

The activation started on August 8, 2016, in Makurdi, and moved on to Enugu, before arriving at Ilorin for the grand finale. One week was spent in each location, and the climax of each location is the funfair, which took place on Saturday at each location.

Some of the prizewinners at the grand finale are Oladipo Faith, who went home with a Bicycle; Sulyman Sony, who won a mini Home Theatre, and Irewole Ayomide, who won a branded PSVita.

Meanwhile, the organisers have encouraged parents and stakeholders in the country to always register their children and wards for the subsequent edition of the Cowbell Chocolate Summer camp.

“Quality instructors are constantly being arranged to handle every module of the summer camp’s educational programme, so as to ensure fulfillment of the initiative,” the company’s representative noted.