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The Camp » Vision
History and Vision : Letter From
the Founders
For several years, our family and friends hosted a one-day
adventure camp for critically ill children and their families
at our Mt. Gilead, Ohio, farm. The kids went swimming,
fishing, boating and horseback riding, and for just one magical
day, they traded the stresses of their diseases for laughter,
hope and ordinary childhood fun.
We watched in amazement as their spirits soared with the
joy of just being kids. When the one-day events had concluded,
we realized that we missed hosting
this fantastic day for the kids as much as they missed
the down on the farm fun. We looked at the 167 acres next
to our farm and realized we could create a special place
for medically challenged youth to experience the fun of summer
camp.
So, we embarked on an adventure to discover a model of
the best possible camp for children with life-threatening
illnesses. We came upon the Hole in
the Wall Camps, started by the actor Paul Newman, and learned
that they are the world’s largest family of camps for
children with such diseases as cancer, HIV/AIDS, sickle cell
anemia, hemophilia, kidney disease, heart disease, and a
host of other serious illnesses.
We visited many
Hole in the Wall Camps and found it truly amazing to see
such sights as wheelchair-bound children lifted up onto ropes
courses. Witnessing
their happiness and joy was truly life changing for us, and
it became the driving force behind this ambitious project. Flying
Horse Farms, inspired by and modeled after Newman’s
impressive camps, will be up and running in 2009. We
are working with the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps
to become the Midwest’s
first Hole in the Wall Camp.
We are proud to be partnering with all of the Children’s Hospitals across
Ohio, who will help provide medical staff for the camp, as well as refer to us
many of the more than 34,000 children who face serious illnesses. We are
equally fortunate to have a board of directors made up of several community-minded
members who have joined us in launching this project. Our inaugural board
is comprised of passionate, committed individuals who share our dream of making
Flying Horse Farms a reality for thousands of sick children and their families.
Surely, all of us believe that childhood, especially during
the summer, should be a carefree time. Yet for children who are critically ill, the whole
year, every year, brings suffering and extraordinary tests of courage and strength. We
hope that this project can not only bring respite to these children and their
families, but also touch the lives of the individuals, volunteers, corporations
and staff who will join us in giving the gift of hope, love and laughter. We
can only imagine the possibilities.
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