Published: May 10, 2008 09:06 pm         

You can make a difference in the lives of our children

guest column

Summer is just around the corner, and the kids of Raleigh, Wyoming, Fayette, Nicholas, Webster, Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties are looking forward to their camp experience this year.

Many of the children who went last year are already asking to go this year. Those children who got to be a part of the Kids Off The Streets day program last year are already wondering where they will go on trips and what they will learn in the Bible studies this year. Our application process has already started, and we at The Salvation Army are excited about what God will do this summer in the midst of these fun events both at Camp Tomahawk and here at our KOTS day program.

Several weeks ago I introduced in these columns a man named Ed who grew up in my hometown of Brooklyn. Ed was a normal kid in many ways except that he came from a very violent and broken home. At age 3 his father abandoned them, and his first stepdad was an alcoholic and had tried to smash a phone over his head one night. The family escaped their home in California to the hometown of his grandparents in Brooklyn. In addition, his current stepdad turned out to be an alcoholic and violent as well.

While his mom tried hard to support the family and do as much as she could for Ed and his brother, it was The Salvation Army that was their refuge, and specifically the day camp programs of The Salvation Army. When Ed was able to go swimming or do crafts or really do anything with The Salvation Army, he felt an acceptance that he had never known at home.

It was the positive and Godly principles that Ed learned from the captains and lieutenants of The Salvation Army that made him who he is today. If you were to ask Ed what he would say to you, a donor, it would be, “thank you.” Ed attended every program, including camp and retreats for young people, that was offered by The Salvation Army of New York until he was a teenager. He stayed connected to the army until he joined the Marine Corps. But something changed for that young boy.

Next week we will see why the seeds we plant today in our children are so important for the harvest of tomorrow.

If you would like to impact one of our local children’s lives and give them some hope, please send your donation to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 1573, Beckley, WV 25801. Please mark your check Camp-4-Kids and list your county of residence.

God Bless you today!

— Capt. Bob Cornett is a corps officer for The Salvation Army in Southern West Virginia.