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Staff, volunteers also say they benefit from Summit program
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Friday, Jul 18, 2008
NEW FRANKLIN: The New York Yankees had the Iron Horse, a nickname Lou Gehrig earned seven decades ago playing in a then-record 2,130 consecutive games.
The New York Giants had the Iron Man, a moniker Joe McGinnity picked up pitching both games of doubleheaders at the turn of the last century.
Now, meet Iron Will.
He's one of 94 young cancer patients attending Camp Quality Ohio this week at Craftsmen Park in New Franklin. A diminutive 17-year-old Ohio high school junior, he has earned the admiration of the staff for his resolve in the face of adversity.
''Iron Will is the most awesome person I've ever met,'' said Zack Douglas, a 30-year-old graduate of Wadsworth High School and teacher in Las Vegas who is serving as Will's adult companion this week.
For a decade, Will (last names of campers are not used) has dealt with cancerous tumors ravaging his body. Six weeks ago, he had the added burden of a stroke that robbed him of movement on his right side.
Through it all, Will had a dream — to keep coming back to the seven-day
summer camp on the shore of Rex Lake.
''I've had such a great time in the past, I just knew that I had to come back,'' said Will, who is here for the ninth summer. ''I was determined to do whatever I had to do to be able to come back to camp. I was determined to be here — and here I am. And I'm having a great time.''
Camp Director Kerri Franks calls him a ''walking miracle.''
''Will has worked incredibly hard to overcome incredible odds,'' she said. ''His goal and driving force during physical therapy was to get strong enough so that he could attend camp. He said we were his inspiration. Now he's ours.
''It's stories like Will's that make this camp what it is. But it's not just about Will. It's about letting Will and 93 other kids who are fighting cancer be kids again.''
The first Camp Quality Ohio — one of 14 such camps held throughout the United States — was in 1997 at Camp Hilaka, a Girl Scout facility in Richfield. It attracted 12 campers.
The camp quickly grew and two years later relocated to its current 68-acre site on Rex Lake. In addition to the 94 campers, 96 adult companions, 60 staff members and 100 or so other volunteers are participating in this year's camp.
The staff members are at least 16 years old. Companions, who are paired with a camper 24 hours a day, are at least 18.
''We are a total volunteer group,'' said Carol Cross, a Marshallville resident and the companion coordinator. ''The volunteers are strictly people with a tremendous passion for making kids' lives better.
''Most companions are in their 20s, but we have one companion who is 83. And they come from all walks of life. They are executives who gave up a week of their vacation. They are retired engineers at Goodyear and people who held major positions in their professional life. And they are college kids, who are some of the most incredible people you'll ever meet.''
Crafts are a focal point of the camp. The kids make necklaces and leather products, sculpt clay and tie-dye clothing.
''It gives each of the kids something tangible to take home from the experience,'' Cross said. ''It's all about serving the kids, who are the most amazing people I've ever met.''
In addition to crafts, there are 20 or so other programs, including a rope-climbing class put on by Army ROTC from the University of Akron, horseback riding, fishing and boating.
Program directors Julie Brecht of Wadsworth and Karla Nalepa of Green work year-round to plan the programs that began Sunday afternoon and will end Saturday.
The camp sleeps 200 people in the Craftsmen Park cabins each night and cooks prepare 250 meals three times a day.
''Unfortunately, there are so many kids with cancer in northeastern Ohio that we undoubtedly could get much bigger,'' said Franks, a counselor at Schrop Intermediate School in Springfield. ''Right now, we are about maxed out at Craftsmen Park, but we don't want to turn anybody away. We want anyone who is in treatment for cancer to be able to come to the camp and enjoy what we have.''
Volunteers and support groups help to raise the $150,000 that is needed to run the year-round Camp Quality programs. Besides the summer camp, there's a reunion in September, a winter get-together, a ski weekend in February and a bowling party in May.
The payback to the volunteers, Franks said, is more rewarding than money.
''The staff tells us the kids teach us so much and give us so much perspective on life that they don't know who benefits more from the experience — the kids or the staff,'' she said. ''It's just an incredible experience for everyone involved.
''I've done a ton of stuff — teaching, coaching, counseling — with kids in the last 14 years, but nothing has impacted my life like this.
''This is one of the few experiences that I've seen in which politics and religion are thrown out the window. Everybody throws everything else aside and focuses all the energy toward making life better for kids.''
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
NEW FRANKLIN: The New York Yankees had the Iron Horse, a nickname Lou Gehrig earned seven decades ago playing in a then-record 2,130 consecutive games.
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