Hey Richard! My Dad’s in that prison
Luke’s voice cried out from the back of the 12 seater bus I was driving down the
On arrival the children completed registration procedures, and were formed into three groups, with each group having two leaders with another in reserve. Sharon Rutherford headed up the 15-strong leadership team who all came from Deep Creek Anglican Church,
The children were then greeted by “The Incredibles”, a group drawn from the leadership team, and immediately started special activities that continued non-stop for the next three days. These activities included a special Olympic events program, a Tai Chi session at 6.30am on Tuesday, and an “Incredible Dinner” on Tuesday night where, in a specially decorated hall, one large table was formed and all the children and the leaders ate together.
Well, what did the Kamp for Kids have to offer? According to Bob Browne, one of the leaders, it was a great program that exposed the children to physical challenges, mental tests, new social interactions requiring less self-focus, and the building of relationships with others, all within a spiritual environment. Bob noted that as each child rose to the occasion they had fun and enjoyed a sense of achievement. Bob reported that over the three day period he saw a fantastic camp with dedicated leaders, under
So, what did the children think?
“The giant swing and the rock climbing was best.”
“We went on a night hike and then had hot marshmallows around a camp fire.”
“If this was a school camp it would be the best school camp ever.
“The food was awesome, not like the food on our school camp.”
“I like the kids on this camp heaps better than the kids at school, everyone got on straight away.”
This last comment was reinforced by a remark made by a mother prior to the camp when she said to me, “My children experience nasty and spiteful comments at school when other children find out that their father is in prison. My children will learn from this camp that they are not the only ones with a dad in prison. I want them to have fun at the camp and realize that they are like every other kid.”
What did leaders think about the camp?
“The kids loved it, the girls loved the dancing, everyone loved the giant swing…I can’t think of anything they didn’t love.”
“Every single one of the kids, I feel, got a massive amount out of the camp. Whether it was because of the love shown by the leaders, or being given a break from their normal lives or just having a fun time and being kids. I really believe they had a ball. One of the kids, Jayden, said, “It was the best camp he’d ever been on.” Chris’ tears as he was leaving were really a testament to how much he was going to miss the camp.” Dave
“To hear the phrase ‘I wish I could stay here for 500 years brought tears to my eyes, realizing that these kids saw us as mentors, leaders, carers, parents and most of all friends. Friends that would do just about everything for them. A number of kids also got an opportunity to explore religion and God through their discussions. They also had a great chance to meet others with similar familial situations and make friends. So many phone numbers were exchanged between the kids at the end of the camp.” Richard G
“For me, the Shooting Stars activity was special. Each child was encouraged to thank other children for helping them during the various activities at the camp. I thought it was going to be a fizzer, but the opposite happened, the children wouldn’t stop talking. I remember one boy saying that he had helped another boy who was afraid of the dark. Craft activities were popular which provided opportunities for each child to make a gift for their parent in prison. Some wrote letters.”
A video of the camp was screened on the last day and every child had his/her photograph taken with their group leaders. They were also presented with “Incredible Certificates” to recognize their achievements. All campers were so proud and beaming for their photos and one boy, Beau, upon hearing his name called out, was heard to proudly whisper, “I knew I was going to get that, I just didn’t want to tell anybody.”
As I was loading up the bus for the return journey Luke gave me a big hug and said, “Richard, I have written a letter to my dad, can you give it to him for me?”
In conceiving the idea of Kamp for Kids, our dream was to provide an opportunity for the children to experience the love of God and the love of others in a new environment. That dream was spectacularly delivered at the Kamp for Kids in Anglesea over three days during the September 2005 holiday break.