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Puerta La Cruz camp unveils children’s center

December 18, 2024

A new library and outdoor educational center at Puerta La Cruz Conservation Camp.

The first-of-its-kind Outdoor Children’s Educational Recreation Center is now in operation at Puerta La Cruz Conservation Camp in San Diego. The center offers the camp’s incarcerated women a welcoming space for creating meaningful relationships with their children.

“The Outdoor Children’s Educational Recreation Center fosters connections between children and their incarcerated firefighter mothers,” said CDCR Secretary Jeff Macomber. “It offers a vibrant space for educational and recreational activities that will not impact quick emergency response during crises. This combination of engagement and safety highlights the center’s commitment to a nurturing environment.”

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Officials from CDCR and Gordon Philanthropies celebrated the grand opening of the center.

Gordon Philanthropies’ founder Dan Gordon, CDCR Associate Director of Female Offender Programs and Services Angela Kent, Film Producer and Activist Michelle Ebony Hardy, and dozens of children and their incarcerated parents celebrated the opening with a ribbon cutting and a luncheon.

“I love this camp (and) it is a good experience. The library helps us mothers connect with our children,” said camp participant Devin Calderon.

The center helps strengthen family bonds

Outdoor educational center at the conservation camp in San Diego.

The center’s open-air design includes seating and a collection of age-appropriate books, games, and activities for families to enjoy.

“Gordon Philanthropies is grateful for the courageous, selfless service of the wonderful women of Puerta La Cruz Conservation Camp. Their bravery has saved thousands of lives, homes, and acres of land across the state,” said Gordon. “The building of this Outdoor Children’s Educational Recreation Center is to create effective and high-quality approaches that help close the literacy gap and support the mothers of Puerta La Cruz on their children’s reading journey. We know they are heroes, not just to us and the people of California, but to their children as well.”

Camp Commander Lt. Michael Bennett said the library is a blessing to the camp.

“(It) is a safe haven to read books and create a connection where they can have dialogue through the power of reading,” said Bennett.

Gordon Philanthropies Executive Director Silvia Beanes said the project is a way to recognize the camp participants for their hard work and dedication.

“Today we are celebrating women who are heroes in California, who fight fires,” she said. “(We are also) celebrating the incredible work CDCR does in collaboration with Gordon Philanthropies.”

Learn more about the camp

Puerta La Cruz Conservation Camp #14 in Warner Springs is jointly operated by CDCR and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). The primary mission of the camp is to provide incarcerated fire crews for fire suppression principally in San Diego, Imperial and Riverside Counties, but has been assigned to numerous off-reservation assignments throughout the state.

In addition to fire suppression, incarcerated hand crews provide a work force for conservation projects and community service.

To learn more, visit https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/facility-locator/conservation-camps/puerta-la-cruz/.

Video and story by Pedro Calderón Michel, Deputy Press Secretary
Office of Public and Employee Communications