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Camp Summersault
What is Camp Summersault? Every year for the past 18 years, the
American Cancer Society, in collaboration with Campfire USA, Long Beach
Cancer League and other donors and volunteers has provided a summer day
camp experience free-of-charge. Children from the ages 5 to 13 are
referred to the camp from surrounding medical facilities such as Miller
Children’s Hospital, CHOC, City of Hope and Kaiser. The cancer patients
and their siblings participate in arts and crafts, a fun filled day
trip, barbecues, petting zoo, archaeology, sports and an evening event
where the children have the opportunity to display their crafts and
entertain their parents with songs they have learned. Each year there
is a different theme to the camp; this year the theme was “Down the Nile
on a Crocodile”.
Each camper is provided a camp duffle bag, filled with “goodies” such a
camp t-shirt and sweatshirt, cap, toys, books, gift certificates and
snacks, all of which are donated. Past arts and crafts projects have
included each child making a fabric heart that was sewn together by a
quilting guild, making two quilts that were auctioned off. This year
the children made fabric hands, that were made into a quilt. This quilt
was presented to a Boeing Company representative at the holiday party on
December 8th. Georgie Kolsky was the inspiration for these projects and
was this year’s chairperson for the Camp Summersault program for the
Long Beach Cancer League. Others that have participated for a number of
years include Sande Rice, Janet Foley and Lillian Saches. Rosa Kelson,
from the American Cancer Society, Director of Cancer Control, does an
incredible job of pulling all of the logistics together for this
tremendous weeklong event.
Counselors are all volunteers including those junior counselors over 14
who are former campers. Some counselors come back year after year,
donating their summer to help make the camp a success. One such
volunteer was Chris Redgate, who attended Long Beach Poly. Chris had
the opportunity to be a counselor, one-on-one with Aedrean, a 9-year-old
who was so sick he needed a wheelchair. Aedrean needed help doing some
of the most basic activities, and Chris was there by his side the entire
week. Aedrean died a week after the last day of camp, and will always
be remembered for his quick smile and determination. That week Camp
Summersault made a huge difference in the life of Aedrean, as it does to
150 young campers every year.
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