The Kiwanis clubs of the Queens West division are helping children enjoy their summer vacation by sending dozens of youngsters to Kamp Kiwanis.
Each club from the Queens West division held fundraiser events throughout the year to raise money to give the kids a one-week camping experience.
The Corona-East Elmhurst club sponsored one child; the newest club in the Queens West division, the East River club, helped 11 children go to Kamp Kiwanis; the Maspeth club sent 14 children; LaGuardia led the way with 25 children sponsored; Middle Village raised enough money to send one child to camp; the Queens Boulevard club enabled four children to visit Kamp Kiwanis; and Sunnyside added 11 more children to the roster. In all, 67 children were sponsored for a week at Kamp Kiwanis.
“Children are sponsored by local Kiwanis Clubs throughout the district (New York State) and they come to camp with no cost to their families; the Kiwanis clubs pay for it,” said Sal Anelli, president of Kamp Kiwanis. “It is one of the finest sleepaway camps in the state, full of activities to promote fellowship and cooperation.”
Kamp Kiwanis is a 105-acre camp ground located 10 miles west of Rome, NY, owned by the New York District Kiwanis Foundation. The woodland campground has a pond for fishing and boating as well as an in-ground swimming pool.
Children at Kamp Kiwanis are encouraged to go swimming, boating, fishing, participate in several different sports, arts and crafts, go on hikes, learn to build campfires, act in skits, go on nature walks and many other fun activities.
Weekly camping sessions run through Aug. 15. Each weekly session begins on Sunday at 3 p.m. and ends on Saturday at 8 a.m.
“The camp runs an eight-week camping season. The first two weeks are for adults with special needs. The other six weeks are for economically and physically challenged children from the ages of 8 to 14,” Anelli said. “Each week we take in up to 125 children, of which up to 20 can be special needs children. We mainstream those children with the rest of the campers so that they don’t feel that they are any different.”
For more information about Kamp Kiwanis, visit their website.
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