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While many Mountain View High School students use their summer vacations to relax, travel or prepare for college applications in the fall, Benny Cittadino is spending his time corralling a gaggle of children at Moffett Field.
Cittadino is the founder – and lead counselor – of Camp Moffett, an affordable summer camp for the children of NASA, military and civil service families living at Moffett.
All the summer camps out there are priced for these guys who work in tech. … These families just can’t afford that.
Benny Cittadino, Mountain View High Student and Camp Moffett Founder
Cittadino and his team of counselors volunteer their time to keep the kids busy with various activities from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Families are only charged about $25 per day.
“It’s a lot of trial and error, learning what the kids like to do, and what’s easiest to play, and what’s easiest to organize,” Cittadino said. “It’s organized chaos.”
This is the program’s first year. The average morning starts with parents dropping off their kids at the Moffett Field Club House, a community space that’s part of the residential Wescoat Village within the federal airfield. Once inside, the campers play games like Jenga and Egyptian Slap, then move on to ice breakers. Once the kids are warmed up and comfortable, counselors lead games of kickball, football, tag, sharks and minnows, and dodgeball.
During coveted “water days,” the kids get to play with water balloons in the fields surrounding the club house and homes, cooling off under the summer sun.
Prioritizing student leadership
For 12-year-old Liam, Camp Moffett has been fun because it has given him an opportunity to work with and lead the younger kids. The camp is divided into two groups: those eight and older, and those under eight.
Although he’s not old enough to be a counselor, or even a junior counselor (he would have to be 14), Liam has enjoyed the chances he’s gotten to help the younger campers.
“They are always ready for anything,” Liam said.
By providing leadership and accountability opportunities, counselor Brandon Binn said that Camp Moffett is helping kids build confidence and familiarity with a chain of command.
“It’s kind of like a ladder,” said Binn, who is also a Mountain View High student. “They can see themselves coming into these positions soon, and they can see how the chain of command works.”
The program is part of Mountain View High’s Student Athlete Service Club, which Cittadino founded. Cittadino and Binn both play on the school’s football team, with Binn also playing Lacrosse. The club connects student athletes with various volunteer opportunities that fit into their tight schedules. Although Binn and Cittadino are set to graduate in 2027, they hope the program will continue into the future.
Responding to community need
Camp Moffett was born from discussions between Cittadino, Courtney Nestor – a military veteran and founder of the Bay Area Military Network – and her husband, Col. John Nestor. The Bay Area Military Network connects Moffett Field military families with support and helps to build community.
Cittadino was especially interested in helping military families because his father, who died when Cittadino was 2 years old, was a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy. His grandfather also served in the military and Cittadino himself hopes to join the Navy after he graduates high school.
During his conversations with the Nestors, Cittadino learned that childcare, especially during the summer, was a common issue for Moffett Field families.
John Nestor described Moffett Field as “an army garrison, that’s not an army garrison.” While there are military families living at Moffett Field, it’s not an active military base and lacks the community support that one would have, he said.
Moffett Field stopped being an active Naval Air Station in 1994, and the site was transferred to NASA. However, it remains an active federal airfield, and it still has occupied military housing. While many of those living at Moffett Field get an allowance for housing, John Nestor said it isn’t enough to cover the cost of living in the Bay Area.
“All the summer camps out there are priced for these guys who work in tech,” Cittadino said. “These families just can’t afford that.”
The Bay Area Military Network began soliciting donations after Cittadino and the Nestors settled on the idea of an affordable summer camp. They raised $8,338, with most of the money coming from Moffett Field and the broader Mountain View community.
There are roughly 40 students enrolled in the camp, which runs through July 24.
Different childhoods
Children in military families often have non-traditional upbringings. Jason Longoria and his children have had to pick up and move more than half a dozen times, relocating to Moffett Field last summer. Longoria, who currently works as a senior enlisted advisor at the San Jose Military Insurance Processing Station, said that his son and daughter have been to six schools across three countries and four states.
All these moves have taught his children resilience, Longoria said, and Camp Moffett has made his family feel supported by the greater Mountain View community. His daughter is a counselor, and his son is a camper.
Because Camp Moffett’s participants have had similar life experiences, Longoria said that it’s easier for them to connect with each other and form special bonds.
“They understand what it’s like to have military parents, so they can all leverage on each other,” he said.
