|
 On July 27, 2009, Kendra Calhoun, Amputee Coalition’s CEO, and I had the honor and privilege of spending a day at the Amputee Coalition Youth Camp in Clarksville, Ohio. This was a first visit for both Kendra and me, but most assuredly it will only be the first of many.
The physical facilities at Camp Joy are wonderful, and the Camp Joy staff members, whose primary mission is to serve communities of children challenged by economic circumstances or by physical disabilities of all sorts, are extraordinary. The Amputee Coalition staff, working with the Camp Joy staff, volunteer counselors and volunteer professionals, put together an intense program of traditional camp activities addressed to the physical and emotional needs of our campers.
On a personal level, the opportunity to witness the enthusiastic spirit of these campers, ranging in age from 10 to 17, dealing with varying degrees of limb loss, supporting one another as they faced challenges that many of them could probably not have imagined before they arrived for the first time, was inspiring and energizing. The 50 campers this summer hailed from 21 different states (plus one from Australia) and from extremely diverse communities and backgrounds. Kendra and I met with both first-timers and “old-timers” who were back for their third and fourth summers. The importance of their being together and experiencing the incredible emotional support from this peer group was for them – and for Kendra and me – clearly a life-altering experience.
The Amputee Coalition supports the full cost of the youth camp for every camper, whatever his or her economic circumstances, and however long the distance they must travel to reach the camp. On average, it costs about $1,800 per camper – for the transportation, food, lodging and facilities. Our plan is to double the number of campers for the 2010 session, and after that perhaps locate one or more camps around the country.
To help raise the funds for the youth camp for next year and beyond, Amputee Coalition board members and volunteers around the country will be holding a series of “Pebble parties,” beginning this fall, to bring the hosts’ circle of friends into Amputee Coalition’s pond and, through their support and contributions, together with the other institutional, corporate and individual contributions we receive, to make our plans for more campers and more camps a reality.
There can be no more important achievement than expanding the number of children with limb loss who get to experience the youth camp. The return on our investment in these children will be phenomenal. The motto of the Amputee Coalition Youth Camp – “I can do anything, anywhere!” – will become the mantra of more and more children, who will come to understand that they can fulfill their dreams and lifelong ambitions, notwithstanding their limb loss.
Having witnessed it firsthand – I can assure you that we mean it, and the children who experience the youth camp will live it both at the camp and in their communities and lives thereafter.
|
