CLAREMORE —
Brother and sister Jeremiah and Izzy Wise are two of the children who will get the opportunity to attend the Salvation Army summer camp this week as part of the Send a Kid to Camp program in Rogers County.
Funds are still needed to reach the $8,000 goal. The current total stands at just over half, $4,365.
This will be Jeremiah’s third year to go to camp and Izzy’s second.
“It was pretty fun,” said the bubbly 9-year-old Izzy. “I met lots of friends. All those girls in my cabin became my friends.”
Her favorite activity during the week was swimming.
“This year I’m thinking about getting a checker bracelet, so you can go on the diving board and slides,” she said.
Campers have to pass a swim test to get the checker bracelet and then are able play in the deep end.
Izzy also enjoyed going on the “Jesus Walk,” a hike in which they traveled to different “towns” where actors reenacted Bible stories.
“This is a Bible-based camp through the Salvation Army,” explained Gloria Conaway, OKDHS school-based social worker who coordinates camper eligibility. “At night they attend chapel services.”
Jeremiah, age 10, is most looking forward to the ropes course this year.
Eight-year-old Leeanna Smith’s favorite part of camp last year was swimming.
She received a new swimming suit and three sets of new clothes and shoes from the Salvation Army to make sure she had everything she needed for the week.
The Salvation Army provides clothing, bedding, shoes and other items the children need to make their camp experience unforgettable.
Campers are also treated to a meal at McDonald’s on the way down to the Heart O’Hills Camp near Tahlequah.
While at camp they are busy with canoeing, fishing, mini-golf and a host of activities all day long. At night, there are the chapel services, along with movies and other special programs.
It’s a rare break not only from daily life, but also from the distractions of TV and electronics.
“They focus on nature and the beauty that’s around them,” Conaway said.
That’s what Izzy discovered on one of the hikes.
“We went up a hill and it was amazing to see all that,” she said. “I didn’t know all that was there.”
It will be waiting for Izzy and the others again this year if the Send a Kid to Camp funds can be raised.
“Camp is an important childhood experience that these children might miss out on if this program didn’t make it possible,” said Penny Burns, OKDHS Claremore school-based social worker and camp coordinator.
All of the children are not on welfare. All do not come from families without a working parent. But all are children from families where there is no money for anything extra.
All money raised during the Send a Kid to Camp campaign is used for campers. Funds are administered by the Share the Spirit Foundation and will continue to be collected until the goal is reached.
The camp fee includes lodging, meals, insurance, and a canteen card to buy snacks and craft materials.
The Pilot Club of Claremore provides “ditty bags” with shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, washcloths, hair brushes and combs.
Please send your tax-deductible donation to Share the Spirit, c/o Claremore Daily Progress, P.O. Box 248, Claremore, OK 74018, or drop by the Progress business office at 315 W. Will Rogers Blvd. Names of donors will be listed unless anonymity is requested. Recent contributors include Skylark Pictures LLC, John H. and Roberta J. Cary, Jack M. and Mary Lee Spinks, Paul E. and Jonnie M. Neely.
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