Rockford, Illinois is the second largest city in Illinois and known for it’s rich soil. It is also a ghost town. The city used to thrive in the 60’s and 70’s with it’s many factories and farms, however in the late 70’s the economy plummeted with the closing of many factories resulting in unemployment, crime, and many teen pregnancies. The one thing the city kept is their love for family and tradition. Tradition is embedded deep within Rockford’s culture.  Our roots are what grounds us and keep us growing. With that in mind, Rockford Roots summer camp was born. The camp focuses on the children first. Its mission is to educate sustainability focusing on building a fulfilling, successful life. By educating the future generations on how to utilize their cities resources, the city’s economy will grow as well as creating a sense of purpose for the young one’s within it. The camp is split in three different mentor areas, Roots being the younger kids, Sprouts are the teens, and Seeds are the older mentors who have been both a Root and Sprout in the past. The vision of the Rockford Roots summer camp is to mentor the kids by using their city’s best resource— it’s soil.