Published: May 30, 2009 11:00 pm      

Make a difference for kids this summer; send them to camp

Today as I write this column, the weather is beautiful. It’s in the 80s, the flowers are all blooming, and from beneath the soil, the hostas and other dormant plants are peeking toward the sky, ready to celebrate another summer.

Later this week the youth of our community will leave school for summer vacation. Also on that day, many of these children will be planning their trip to Camp Tomahawk in Hedgesville. The trip across Interstate 64 and north on Interstate 81 to the hills above Martinsburg will be the beginning of a week to remember.

First, they’ll stop along the way and have lunch, and the kids who have been to camp before will tell the new ones exactly what to expect. They’ll tell them about the zip line and the ropes course way above the ground, and how cool it is to get to the top and ride the zip line down. It’s very safe, you have a harness and there’s a guide and stuff, they’ll say.

Soon after, we’ll be back on the road and before they know it comes the final turn as the van heads up the last hill and the driver starts the final countdown — 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and there it is, Camp Tomahawk.

WOW! This is going to be an awesome week.

The van will stop at the barn and out will come those smiling kids from southern West Virginia.

First they will get their cabin assignments and then it’s off to the pool for swim qualification. If you get a blue band, you know you can swim in the deep end and ride the water slide. Let’s go, “it’ll be cool” someone will say, and off they will go to the pool, and that will be the beginning of an unforgettable week.

Somewhere among the trail walks, bike rides, camp fires and all kinds of games and singing, some of these children will learn for the first time about a Jesus who absolutely loves them, and it’s at that moment that their life will change forever.

You see, no matter how much fun the kids have at camp, it’s the seeds of faith that are planted that will impact their lives forever. One such child’s name is Israel, but most people call him Izzy. Izzy grew up in the East and attended a camp much like the one in Hedgesville. He was the child of a Baptist minister, and while the message of Christ he received from the folks at The Salvation Army camp was not the first time he had heard of Jesus, it was the experiences at camp, and the youth programs that followed, which led this young man to grow up and take the message of Jesus to the far ends of world.

Izzy and his wife were very instrumental in my life in their role as the divisional youth leaders in New York City some 30 years ago, and today, Izzy Gaither is the national commander of The Salvation Army, stationed in Arlington, Va.

He is officially known as Commissioner Israel Gaither. While it’s not likely that all the children who attend the SA Camp will become leaders, or even pastors in The Salvation Army, it is certain that many of them will keep the values and experiences they learn in this week with them for a lifetime.

This year, more than ever, we need your help to give the disenfranchised children of our community a chance to just be kids for a week.

You can send a kid to camp for a day for $50, for a week for $250. Remember, every cent helps make these adventures happen. If you would like to contribute, you can mail your donation to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 1573, Beckley, WV, 25801.

— Capt. Bob Cornett and his wife Julie are the chief corps officers for The Salvation Army in Beckley.