Most of the foster kids at an upstate camp weren’t even alive when its co-founder rose to fame as a rap pioneer.
They just know the Queens native as the guy who creates a safe place for them during the summer to talk about the difficulties they face in the child welfare system.
“These kids say, ‘I am just a foster kid. I have nothing going for me other than just being miserable,'” said Darryl (DMC) McDaniels, who co-founded Camp Felix. “I tell them, ‘You are wrong. Your situation doesn’t define who you are.'”
Hundreds of kids ages 8 to 14 have made the trek to Peekskill, swapping stories of fear, abandonment and their struggles with identity. They form bonds that organizers hope will last a lifetime.
“We are a family,” said McDaniels, sitting among 171 campers from New York City last week.
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