by jphilo | Jun 14, 2016 | Top Ten Tuesday
Central Iowa’s first Wonderfully Made Family Camp (WMFC) for families of kids with special needs was held over the weekend. It was an unqualified success as these top ten comments overheard show.
10. From a mom: My son had 8 s’mores at the campfire last night. We got to sleep pretty late.
9. From the typical sibling of a child with special needs: I went on 3 trail rides this afternoon. It was my best day ever.
8. From almost every parent, child, and volunteer: This camp is amazing!
7. From numerous dads and moms: My massage was wonderful. I haven’t been this relaxed in years.
6. From the sibling of the Man of Steel’s camp buddy: Hiram’s my buddy, too. Can he be part of our family forever?
5. From several young campers: When can we go swimming? We’re going swimming now! We swam until the pool closed at 10 o’clock last night.
4. From a young camper: Dad, will you come meet Kristen’s parents? She wants me to come to her house to play someday.
3. From more than one parent: How long have you been running special needs family camps? You are so well organized.
2. From the planning committee: We want everyone to know that God provided everything and everyone needed to make this camp a reality.
1. From more parents, kids, and volunteers to planning committee members: Thank you for letting us be part of the camp.
And one more from the planning committee to every parent, child, and volunteer: Thank you!
by jphilo | Apr 4, 2016 | Current Events
Saturday evening was sweet evening for all who attended the Wonderfully Made Family Camp fundraiser in West Des Moines. Not only was over $2000 raised (how sweet is that?) to get us closer to our goal of $15000* to cover expenses for the 30+ families registered to attend, but those in attendance enjoyed a sweet evening of fellowship, music, and dessert. But don’t take my word for it. Observe it yourself!
Sweet spring nosegays on a chilly, blustery evening.
Sweet desserts up for bid in both the silent auction and the noisy one. (See top photo)
A sweet picnic meal in keeping with the evening’s camp theme.
A sweet chocolate fountain compliments of Chocolaterie Stam.
And sweet music performed by the Harwoods, a family familiar with the challenges and joys of special needs. They drove from Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the fundraiser because they have experienced special needs family camps and know the worth of such camps.
You can watch and listen to the Harwoods at their website. Be assured, it is worth your time.
*Sweet and successful thought the evening was, more donations are needed to meet our goal of $15000. If that goal is exceeded, extra funds will go toward the purchase of a portable lift so every child can enjoy Hidden Acres wonderful pool. Learn more about how to give at the Hidden Acres donation page. As much as donations, we need people to serve as one-to-one volunteers with the children and in other capacities at the camp. Volunteers need to apply, pass a background check, and attend the training that will be held from 9:00 AM–3:00 PM on Friday, June 10 before camp opens at 4:00 that day. Volunteer application forms can be downloaded here. The deadline for submitting applications is May 15, 2016.
If you have any questions, leave a comment or send an email.
by jphilo | Feb 15, 2016 | Out and About
Snowstorms. Ground blizzards. Below zero temperatures. They’ve been the constant companions of Iowans for several weeks now. The bad weather makes me long for spring and look forward to summer.
But I’m looking forward to summer for another very good reason, too. Central Iowa’s very first Wonderfully Made Family Camp will debut at Hidden Acres Christian Center June 10–12, 2016. I’m part of a non-denominational planning committee that’s been meeting since October. We’re trying to make the camp a reality for kids with special needs who aren’t able to attend other summer camps, for their parents who need respite and pampering, and for the siblings whose needs are often put on the back burner.
Fareway (a regional grocery chain) has already committed to providing much of the food. A local businessman has given $25,000 for sidewalks so the camp will be wheelchair accessible. $3,000 of the $15,000 in donations has been raised so 35 families and the 1-on-1 volunteers who will accompany the kids to all daytime activities. Most importantly, though our advertising campaign has barely begun, 15 families have already registered for the camp. Obviously, the need for the camp is real.
Now do you see why I’m looking forward to summer? To tell you the truth, I’m also shaking in my boots because we were expecting–perhaps naively–only 1 child with special needs family. But many of the families have multiple kids with special needs. One family has 5. That’s right, 5. So we need more 1-on-1 volunteers than expected.
Which is what today’s post is all about–recruiting volunteers. Volunteers to accompany kids with special needs during the daytime hours. Volunteers to help the regular volunteers at the swimming pool, rock wall, horse barns, and elsewhere. All volunteers must be at least 16 years old, and they must go through background check and sexual offender screening. Volunteers with special needs or medical training (teachers, teacher associates, nurses, EMTs, doctors, therapists, etc.) are especially needed.
If you’re interested in volunteering, donating, or registering your family to attend camp, visit the Hidden Acres website. You can download forms there, too. Or leave a comment below, and I will get back to you as soon as I can to answer your questions.
by jphilo | Sep 17, 2012 | Out and About
Sorry this post is late going up, but I’m still recovering from a most enjoyable weekend with the women above (sorry this photo’s a little blurry) and the women below.
We spent the weekend at Hidden Acres Camp bonding, worshiping, eating without having to fix the meal or clean up afterwards, relaxing, and learning about how to practice spiritual disciplines during our current seasons of life. These women were so welcoming and so attentive. They were also so not in need of being asked to keep their hands and feet to themselves while listening to the speakers.
Way easier than fourth graders, that’s for sure!
The most heartening aspect of the conference – which had many outstanding features including gifted and committed worship leaders, the best candy bar ever, excellent breakout workshops, and a dedicated planning team – was how many young women attended. The weekend is proof of a new generation of committed Christians who are busy producing the next generation of believers.
Seriously, about every third woman below 35 was either pregnant or caring for a baby.
Thanks so much for allowing me to speak at your conference. Special thanks to Jessy who invited me way back last October, to Rachel who put together the yummiest gift basket ever, to the worship team for all your practice and equipment hauling, and to Sandy for making sure I didn’t go longer than 45 minutes. Most of all, thanks to all of you for making time in your busy lives to attend the conference and for making me feel so welcome.
You were a gift from God all weekend long!
by jphilo | Mar 31, 2011 | Church Newsletter Columns
But Jesus called to them saying,
“Permit the children to come unto Me, and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”
Matthew 19:14
Camp season is coming soon. When I picture kids racing to their cabins, bags and towels and pillows in tow, my heart skips a beat. Their joy brings back memories of church camp at Riverside Camp in Cedar Falls, the highlight of my childhood summers. The four hour drive was interminable. Dad smoked his pipe and sang wacky songs while the sibs and I fought in the back seat. Mom drove while riding herd on us, ignoring our desperate pleas for ice cream and potty breaks.
Once we arrived at Riverside, us yahoos, now quivering with excitement, tumbled out of the car, and raced headlong into a week of kid magic. Tumbledown cabins packed to the gills with campers. New friends and glamorous counselors. A swimming pool with no admission fee. Crafts in the church basement and chapel in the tabernacle. Songs in the mess hall. Bible studies around a bonfire each night. Around that bonfire one night, the Christ who I’d known was real for many years, became my conscious decision, the eternal Magic I would follow the rest of my life.
Many years later, our kids became Hidden Acres campers, attending summer after summer. A mere thirty miles away, the drive was too short for ice cream withdrawal or potty breaks. But it was long enough for quivering excitement to take hold. When their feet hit camp soil, they were off, running full tilt toward a week of kid magic – the swimming hole, riding horses, chapel, and their ultimate favorite: playing capture the flag IN THE DARK.
At the end of each week, we brought them home, tired, grubby, and full of stories. One year I asked Allen why his soap, washcloth, and towel were pristine and unused. “They sent us in for showers, but didn’t check to see if we got wet,” he said, and then launched a spirited discussion about the book of Revelation, which his counselor explained during their daily Bible studies.
One rainy year, we found Anne in a mud puddle searching for sticks and leaves and stones. After we got her home and hosed her down, she described how her counselor kept them safe when a summer storm hit. “She showed us what to do in bad weather.”
“Were you scared?” I inquired.
“Why would I be scared?” she asked. “God was listening to us pray.”
Christ was listening and waiting for me to come to Him at church camp when I was ten. He waited for Allen and Anne at Hidden Acres, too. How different our lives would be if a lack of funds had kept us from meeting Him there.
The lives of GCC kids will also be different if a lack of funds keeps them from camp this summer. But by eating tacos and bidding on desserts, or by contributing to the camp scholarship fund later, we are permitting our kids to encounter Christ at Hidden Acres. What an opportunity to guide our kids toward the eternal Magic of the soul!
