Feature

Happy Kampers

With the help of a Kiwanis International Foundation grant and the New York District, children of military personnel spend a week at “Kamp”

By Curt Seeden

New York wants to see lots of happy campers.

Or make that happy Kampers.

More happy kids went to Kamp Kiwanis the past two summers when an extra week was added—arranged especially for children of military personnel and made possible through the generosity and efforts of the New York District and grants from the Kiwanis International Foundation.

“One thing we always like about military campers is they are so appreciative,” said Rebecca Lopez, executive director of the New York Foundation and Kamp Kiwanis.

Kamp Kiwanis is the major focus of the New York Kiwanis District Foundation, providing a welcomed respite for underprivileged and disabled children, as well as children whose lives are thrown off course by events such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.

For the past two years, the district foundation has applied for and received grants from the Kiwanis International Foundation to offer an outdoor summer adventure for children whose parents are soldiers or otherwise employed by the United States military.

The campground, located six miles north of Rome, New York, features sleeping cabins, bath houses, athletic fields, library, sports area, swimming pool, nature trails, a camping area with a tepee, arts and crafts rooms, an administration building with an infirmary, and a pond for fishing and canoeing.

Kamp Kiwanis is a coed camp for children ages 8 to 17 with a capacity of 130 campers. The camp also offers a counselor-in-training program for teens 15 to 17 years old. Due to costs, their families’ frequent transfers, and other issues, military children rarely enjoy summer camp. And one week at Kamp Kiwanis makes a lasting impact.

“We had one family here from West Point, and two of their three children had special needs,” Lopez says. “The first child, Olivia, found our flier at her after-school program and talked to her mom about how much this would mean to her.

“Her mom, Stephanie, contacted us, and we were able to serve three of her four children. So for one week last summer, Andrew, 15 and suffering from a brain tumor, and his sister, Abby, who is autistic, and Olivia spent an unforgettable week at camp. They had a good time the first year, but the second year they were different children. Their self-esteem was so good. When Olivia was here, she actually won camper of the week.

“Kiwanians in New York support us so much,” Lopez says, “and Kiwanis International has been so good to us.”

Sal Anelli, president of the New York Kiwanis Foundation, recalls visiting the camp 10 years ago during his lieutenant governor training at a critical time in the camp’s history.

“It was in dire need of help,” Sal says. “The 102 acres contained cabins; they were run down and in need of major repairs and refurbishing.”

So Anelli and thousands of other New York Kiwanians stepped up to restore the glory of Kamp Kiwanis.

“We have some 280 clubs, and any club can choose to send a check,” Lopez says. “They also find the kids in their community and pay for them to go to camp or a portion of it. The foundation supplements the cost.

“I’ve worked for a lot of camps—wealthy ones that are for-profit and camps that are nonprofit,” Lopez says. “Kamp Kiwanis is different. It mainstreams all the kids. If you have a handicap, you still go with the rest of the kids. Kiwanis wants every child to have this experience. They just want these children who are less fortunate to have a chance to be happy and be outdoors.”