NJFFSA16
08-20-2002, 04:36 AM
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) - Firefighters, hospital staffers and
classic car enthusiasts cheered as former patients of the Spectrum
Health Regional Burn Center left for a week at Pretty Lake Camp.
Sunday's send-off brought out car club members who donated time
and vehicles to drive children to the Great Lakes Burn Camp.
Firefighters stationed themselves on highway overpasses and
saluted the campers with honks, sirens and applause as the vehicles
cruised by.
At the Kalamazoo airport, the kids transferred from cars to fire
trucks and emergency vehicles for a parade-style ride to camp.
After saving someone from a fire or treating someone who has
been burned, many firefighters and rescue workers never again see
the burn victims. The seventh annual send-off was a way for them to
reconnect.
"This gives us a chance to be with the kids and see how they're
doing," firefighter Dave Fountain told The Grand Rapids Press.
"These kids are incredible. Their spirits are so huge."
Campers could choose to ride in more than a dozen vehicles,
including a 1973 convertible MG, a 1966 Mustang, a Prowler, and a
green 1948 DeSoto.
Ben Clemenshaw chose a black and yellow Dodge Charger as his
ride.
"That's what I'm going to have next year - a '68 Dodge
Charger," the 17-year-old said.
Clemenshaw, a Godwin Heights High School student, said the camp
offers the opportunity to go tubing, climb ropes and relax.
About 100 kids from the region go to the camp each year, said
Amy Clark, a child life specialist at Spectrum Health.
The mission is to bring together young people who have endured
similar injuries and give them a week of fun and relaxation. The
camp, which opened in 1994, is for burn victims ages 8 to 17.
Many young victims, bearing scars from their injuries, often
feel shy and embarrassed. Toward the end of camp, however, they've
made friends and met important personal goals - like learning to
water ski, Clark said.
The car club and firefighters play an important role in getting
the kids to camp. The cost per child is $500, all covered through
fund-raising and donations.
The burn survivors can take off their shirts to swim or wear
short pants instead of the longer ones that typically shield their
scarred skin underneath from the staring eyes of others, said Jim
Swinkowski, the camp's program director.
"Our camp allows them to be a kid," Swinkowski told the
Kalamazoo Gazette.
---
On the Net:
Great Lakes Burn Camp,
http://members.tripod.com/greatlakesburncamp/
classic car enthusiasts cheered as former patients of the Spectrum
Health Regional Burn Center left for a week at Pretty Lake Camp.
Sunday's send-off brought out car club members who donated time
and vehicles to drive children to the Great Lakes Burn Camp.
Firefighters stationed themselves on highway overpasses and
saluted the campers with honks, sirens and applause as the vehicles
cruised by.
At the Kalamazoo airport, the kids transferred from cars to fire
trucks and emergency vehicles for a parade-style ride to camp.
After saving someone from a fire or treating someone who has
been burned, many firefighters and rescue workers never again see
the burn victims. The seventh annual send-off was a way for them to
reconnect.
"This gives us a chance to be with the kids and see how they're
doing," firefighter Dave Fountain told The Grand Rapids Press.
"These kids are incredible. Their spirits are so huge."
Campers could choose to ride in more than a dozen vehicles,
including a 1973 convertible MG, a 1966 Mustang, a Prowler, and a
green 1948 DeSoto.
Ben Clemenshaw chose a black and yellow Dodge Charger as his
ride.
"That's what I'm going to have next year - a '68 Dodge
Charger," the 17-year-old said.
Clemenshaw, a Godwin Heights High School student, said the camp
offers the opportunity to go tubing, climb ropes and relax.
About 100 kids from the region go to the camp each year, said
Amy Clark, a child life specialist at Spectrum Health.
The mission is to bring together young people who have endured
similar injuries and give them a week of fun and relaxation. The
camp, which opened in 1994, is for burn victims ages 8 to 17.
Many young victims, bearing scars from their injuries, often
feel shy and embarrassed. Toward the end of camp, however, they've
made friends and met important personal goals - like learning to
water ski, Clark said.
The car club and firefighters play an important role in getting
the kids to camp. The cost per child is $500, all covered through
fund-raising and donations.
The burn survivors can take off their shirts to swim or wear
short pants instead of the longer ones that typically shield their
scarred skin underneath from the staring eyes of others, said Jim
Swinkowski, the camp's program director.
"Our camp allows them to be a kid," Swinkowski told the
Kalamazoo Gazette.
---
On the Net:
Great Lakes Burn Camp,
http://members.tripod.com/greatlakesburncamp/