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P H o t o g r a P H i c m o m e n t s 1 2 9 Children cool off in the swimming pool at Camp Courant. T he A d vo c at e We ek l y Newspapers were linked to the Courant even before the newspa- per bought the weeklies in 1999. Geoffrey Robinson and Edward Matys founded the company in 1973 while copy editors at the Courant. In 1973 they introduced the Hartford Advocate and the Valley Advocate, based in Amherst, Mass. The New Haven Advocate and the Fairfield County Advocate followed in 1975 and 1978, respec- tively. The Advocate weeklies offer an alternative viewpoint and a focus on entertainment. Camp Courant The Courant and CT1 Media continue to support Hartford's Camp Courant, which began as a summer excursion fund in 1894 providing free summer activi- ties for city children. Camp Courant is the only summer camp serving Hartford youth that provides transportation, preven- tive and acute health and social work services, two nutritious daily meals and recreation, education and cultural activities at no cost to the camper or his or her family. The 36-acre camp is one of the largest and oldest free day camps in the country providing enriching experiences for children ages 5 through 12 such as sports, swimming, arts and crafts, computer learning, yoga, financial literacy and photography. Camp Courant believes that just because children are out of school during the summer does not mean children should stop learning. Children who partici- pate in summer day camp programs often increase their self-perception and social skills. Research also shows that students who attended summer camp, either residential or day, improve their critical think- ing, problem-solving and decision-making abilities. Providing children with quality, affordable, accessible care and enrichment, tutoring and recreation, is one of the most effective ways to prevent them from failing or dropping out of school, becoming teenage parents, or becoming involved in destructive behaviors. Camp Courant provides these positive activities for Hartford's most at-risk children. Camp Courant typically serves between 400 to 600 children each day for six weeks. Campers learn to develop into healthy, responsible adults. Over the years, broad-based community support has resulted in the expansion of programs and ser- vices to the children. All of the services are free, due to support from corporations, foundations, individu- als, community groups and government grants. In-kind support provided by CT1 Media and other organizations helps keep administrative costs to a minimum, resulting in more services being available for more children. Camp Courant is committed to these campers and to creating headline-worthy, picture-perfect summers to remember. With its storied past, award-winning reporting and solid, multimedia news foundation on which to build, CT1 Media is more than equipped to meet today's demands and tomorrow's challenges. CT1 Media has been a welcome guest in Connecticut households for decades through its newspapers and newscasts. The media group will continue to bring community stories that educate and entertain its audiences whenever and however they want it — on phones, tablets, computers and through Facebook, Twitter or tomorrow's social media offerings. "CT1 Media is a team focused on growth," Graziano says. "A team that views change as an opportunity."