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by Josh Schiering
It was inspiring, to say the least, to see how involved our campers became
in Camp Sewataro's Community Action Program, Helping Hands. Camp Sewataro
paired up with Heifer International to create a fun-filled program that
lasted three full days. Heifer International alleviates hunger, poverty,
and environmental degradation by helping struggling families become self-sufficient.
The goal behind Helping Hands was to help the campers see how they could
make a difference in the world through kindness, caring, and thoughtfulness.
Groups of sixteen campers earned points through their participation in special
Helping Hands activities. For every point the group received, Sewataro donated
$1 to Heifer International. The program began with a challenge for the entire
camp (550 campers and 140 staff members) to obtain a combined total score
of 5,000 points!
The Gift Ark
If the campers and counselors were successful in achieving this goal, the
camp would donate a Heifer Gift Ark that would be filled with more than
thirty-four farm animals. The Gift Ark would go right to work supporting
Heifer's entire mission while offering hope worldwide to families who are
poor and hungry. Since it began in 1944, Heifer has given animals, training,
and technical assistance to more than 4 million impoverished families in
125 countries. The Gift Ark sends farm animals on a voyage wherever they
are most needed, to help families start on their journey to fulfilling what
was once an impossible dream — to secure food and a source of dependable
income.
Sewataro's Helping Hands started with each camper group searching for its
farm animal somewhere in camp (a stuffed animal — symbolic of the
gift animal they would help board the Ark on Friday). Each group was also
assigned a buddy group. In the spirit of Heifer, the campers had to focus
on being kind to others in their group and to those in their newly assigned
partner group. The campers had some fun answering Heifer Trivia questions
to get some extra points at the end of each day. All of camp was able to
check the ARK-O-METER each day to see how the whole camp was doing at meeting
the goal of 5000 points!
The Wall of Kindness
The campers used a variety of colors to decorate animal banners with messages
of hope, good wishes, and lists of good deeds they could all do to help
others. The camp's thirty-four banners were collected and posted on the
Wall of Kindness for everyone to see. In addition to being kind and giving
to others, the campers focused on the importance of caring for the earth
and making sure they did their part in helping to preserve it. All the groups
had a trash pick-up day around camp as they went through their daily schedules.
A Positive Focus Pays Off
The activities came to a close during Friday's Special Event when campers
participated in relay races and games that incorporated working together
and sportsmanship. The festivities ended with a counselor parade and the
loading of the Gift Ark (our own scaled down version of the ark). The campers
were surprised when they gathered for the announcement of the final point
total, and they were 500 points short of the 5,000 point goal. Excitement
grew when they received a letter from Alba Taylor, the founder of Camp Sewataro,
which told them how they could earn an extra 500 points to put them over
the top. All 140 counselors led the camp in a spirited Green Alligators
sing-along (a favorite camp song that talks about the ark). The energy and
spirit that filled the Long House, a rainy-day shelter that houses the entire
camp and staff, was incredible. Needless to say, the campers and counselors
did such a fantastic job that they did get all 5000 points!
Ruth Nelson, a Heifer International volunteer, visited the camp to accept
our $5,000 donation and to thank the campers for their participation in
Sewataro's Helping Hands program. Nelson congratulated the campers, "I
have never seen this many children so focused around something so positive.
It is great to see that you care so much about each other and the world."
Originally published in the 2004 January/February
issue of Camping Magazine.
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