Press Releases
Barrio
Camp Sunshine
Sept./Oct. 2003 Woodmen Magazine.
Woodmen’s fraternal corporation in West Virginia has announced plans to be a partner in the development of a camp/retreat facility, called Camp Sunshine Mountain Lakes, on 90 acres of Woodmen-owned property near Flatwoods, West Virginia.
Once developed, the site will serve as the home of the West Virginia youth camp and senior camp, and be used as a retreat for families of children with life-threatening illnesses.
This is a perfect fit for Woodmen,” said David Williams, FICF, West Virginia State Manager. “It’s long been our dream to develop this property into a first-class facility for our members. We’re also helping to provide a much-needed retreat for families with critically ill children.”
According to Williams, the West Virginia Mountaineer Woodmen of the World Camp, Inc., will lease the property at a nominal fee on a long-term basis to Camp Sunshine Mountain Lakes, Inc., (CSML), a non-profit corporation. CSML will be responsible for raising the necessary funds, estimated at more than $12 million, to build the state-of-the art camp/retreat and to manage the facility.
Woodmen will reserve the right to use the site several weeks each year for youth and senior camps and other Woodmen functions. The rest of the year, the camp will serve as a retreat for families from across the nation, whose children are suffering from life-threatening illnesses.
The CSML board is made up of Woodmen members, business and medical professionals, and representatives from the original Camp Sunshine, which is located in Casco, Maine.
Camp Sunshine originated in 1984 when Dr. Larry and Anna Gould, owners of the Point Sebago summer resort near Portland, Maine, saw a television program about a camp for pediatric cancer patients. The couple decided to donate their resort for one week each year to host sick children and their families, and called the program Camp Sunshine.
For the next 17 years, the Goulds continued to provide this service at no charge, and eventually expanded their commitment to four weeks each year. However, demand for the retreat far exceeded the resort’s capacity, and so a permanent retreat facility was built in 2001 on a 15-acre site donated by the Goulds.
This new facility includes 40 one-bedroom suites, an indoor swimming pool, dining hall, Family Activity Center, teen center and conference room. In 2002, 427 families, from 32 states and 7 countries, enjoyed a much-needed respite at Camp Sunshine. This included 40 families who lost a loved one as a result of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.
The primary goal of Camp Sunshine is to help alleviate the strain on a family that can occur when a child becomes critically ill. During their stay at the camp, families have an opportunity to strengthen their relationships and to meet other families facing similar challenges.
Camp activities include group games and sports, arts and crafts, swimming, and other recreational activities. There are also counseling services and on-site medical services. The camp is staffed almost entirely by volunteers, and each visiting family is sponsored by a corporation, foundation or civic group. This sponsorship, along with other private donations, allows Camp Sunshine to offer its services free of charge to the families.
“Over the years,” said Anna Gould, “we have had the privilege of witnessing the best humanity has to offer. At Camp Sunshine, acts of generosity, selflessness, and love are abundant.
Woodmen originally became aware of Camp Sunshine in 2002 through Anita Graham, the wife of former Woodmen area manager Spencer Graham. Anita, who works with pediatric cancer patients at the West Virginia University Pediatric Oncology clinic, first visited Camp Sunshine in 2002. Speaking with Dr. Gould, she learned of his interest in expanding the Camp Sunshine idea to other areas, in order to serve more families.
Upon her return home, Graham and her husband discussed the possible use of the Flatwoods property with board members of the West Virginia Mountaineer Woodmen of the World Camp, Inc. The fraternal corporation has owned the 90-acre property since 1994, but did not have sufficient funds to develop it. After a series of meetings, including one with Dr. Gould, the board unanimously voted to proceed with the project, and establish a separate non-profit corporation, CSML, to raise the necessary funds for the joint-use facility.
According to Williams, the site has a distinct advantage due to its geographic location. “We found that about 60% of the entire U.S. population lives within a 600-mile drive from Flatwoods. This makes the site very attractive, because 600 miles is what a family can drive in one day.”
West Virginia architectural and engineering firms, Blackwood Associates, and MSES,Inc,were selected for the project, and the West Virginia Mountaineer Woodmen of the World Camp, Inc., has agreed to pay for the preliminary design and engineering costs to begin the project.
The Camp Sunshine Mountain Lakes project was announced at the 2003 West Virginia Jurisdictional Convention in Morgantown, with theDr.Larry Gould and his wife Anna in attendance. At that time, Dr. Gould issued a challenge to the delegates. If they could raise $5,000 during the remainder of the convention to sponsor two West Virginia families at Camp Sunshine in Maine, he would personally contribute $2,500 to sponsor a third area family. Within five hours, the convention attendees responded by pledging nearly $8,500. So far, two West Virginia families, referred by the West Virginia University Pediatric Oncology Department, have attended Camp Sunshine as a result of the delegates’ generosity.
The programs and activities for the proposed facility will be patterned after those at the Maine camp, with the addition of accommodations for 100-150 Woodmen Rangers attending summer camp. Williams said that fundraising efforts would focus primarily on large corporations, including medical and pharmaceutical companies.
“We believe that Camp Sunshine Mountain Lakes will be a wonderful place for our members, and for families nationwide who are in need these services,” Williams said.
For more information about Camp Sunshine Mountain Lake, please contact the Woodmen West Virginia Service Center at 304-342-5021.
