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Saving kids' camp a true act of faith By
Lee Cataluna
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It might seem like an act of desperation, but really it's a show of faith.
They need to raise $18,000 in two weeks, so they're having a garage sale. Oh, and they'll accept cans and bottles for 5-cent recycling, too. And items to sell at the yard sale.
It's a can-do bunch.
When ATA shut down, staff and counselors for Camp Taylor, a summer camp for kids with heart defects, got stuck holding worthless tickets from California to Hawai'i for the second annual camp on O'ahu.
The Hawai'i families who signed up for the camp are doing everything they can think of to help bring the Camp Taylor staffers and teen mentors to Hawai'i. They have two weeks to raise money for replacement airline tickets for 25 people.
"They're doing fundraising on their end," says parent Julie Passos, "but we want to do whatever we can on this side because we want camp!"
Passos' son Keegan, now 10, was born with tetralogy of Fallot. He has had three open-heart surgeries, countless procedures, trips to the emergency room and a pacemaker. Last June was his first experience with Camp Taylor.
"The second day of camp, Keegan just stopped in the middle of the basketball court and he teared up and, of course, I said, 'What's wrong?' and he said, 'Nothing's wrong. I'm normal. I'm in a camp where everybody is just like me.' "
Camp Taylor is based in California. The group brought the camp program to Hawai'i last year in partnership with Kardiac Kids, a support group for families of children with heart defects and heart conditions that meets at Kapi'olani Medical Center.
The focus of the camp is pairing the younger kids with teenagers who have similar heart conditions and are a bit further down the same rough road. The little kids get a role model who truly understands, the older kids get to see themselves as a source of strength, wisdom and comfort.
Keegan became so close to his mentor, a 17-year-old named Ryan, that he still talks to him all the time. When he went in for another surgery, he called Ryan for reassurance. When he had to go to the emergency room, he asked to talk to Ryan.
Things have started to look up. Camp Mokule'ia, where Camp Taylor will be held, has pledged $2,000 toward plane tickets. Says Passos, "It's great to receive large donations but if more people gave just one dollar we would get there just as well."
WAYS TO HELP
What: Garage sale; donations of recyclable cans and bottles also accepted
When: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. tomorrow
Where: 95-133 Lelewalo St., Mililani
Information: 227-4558
www.firstgiving.com/keeganpassos
Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.
