Project Avary continues to make a difference — a big difference.

Founded in 1999, the nonprofit was started at San Quentin State Prison by prison chaplain Earl Smith, who saw firsthand the need to help the children of inmates heal from their trauma.

According to the group’s website, Smith saw the need to do something for these kids and joined forces with Danny Rifkin, manager of the Grateful Dead, whose members were visiting the prison to record with the San Quentin Choir. They created a summer camp for children of incarcerated parents — and, more important, a pathway for “creating community trust and healing.”

The long-term connections built among campers help them overcome the grief, loneliness and despair they must feel in having their parents locked behind bars.

Zachary Whelan, the executive director of the San Rafael-based nonprofit, says it best. The young campers grow in Project Avary’s programs and are encouraged to return as camp leaders as part of their and the camp’s work “to create a cycle of hope and healing and opportunity.”

Project Avary’s website explains: “And we do this by surrounding children with a community of belonging where they feel safe enough to begin healing and where they are supported by other children and adult counselors who have a similar life experience as they do.”

This year, the camp is being held at Point Reyes National Seashore. About 130 kids are involved in the program’s activities. They range from naturalist treks, games and trips to the beach, to twice-daily group circles where youngsters are encouraged to talk about their thoughts and feelings.

Being with others who are dealing with the same challenges and feelings, while learning through supportive friends and mentors, has been a successful process for many young people.

Many have returned to the program to serve as mentors, giving back by helping today’s youth heal.

For the park, its hosting of Project Avary is part of the Point Reyes Seashore Association’s three-year California Equity Program grant aimed at opening the park to youth from communities who may not otherwise spend time in the park.

The partnership has grown into a “win-win-win.”

It aids young people who need help healing from emotional wounds, it introduces them to a treasured slice of nature and it opens the doors wider for the park.

The saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child.”

Project Avary is a prime example of that saying at work, through its camps and its year-round mentor programs.

The “village” — the youth, campers who return as junior leaders and mentors, community volunteers and supporters — are making a big difference in young lives that need a strong dose of healing, optimism and opportunity.