Kids Come Through So Their Peers Can Sing and Swim at Moss Hollow

By Alice Reid
Friday, July 4, 2008

Kids don't have to go to Camp Moss Hollow to understand its importance in the lives of those who do. After all, kids know kids. They know how much fun it is to be carefree, to skip from place to place, to spend an afternoon at the pool or sing at the top of their lungs.

And they understand that without some help, many of the campers at Moss Hollow wouldn't have that chance.

We want to tell you about some area young people who have jumped into the effort to send kids to Moss Hollow and to make sure they have the best time they can once they get there.

Tomorrow, Michael Buscemi, 14, of Rockville, and a bunch of his friends from Shady Grove Middle School are scheduled to hold a carwash to raise money for Send a Kid to Camp. So if your car needs a bath, by all means take it to College Plaza Exxon, 15211 Frederick Rd., Rockville, where you'll find Michael and his pals -- all members of the school's Leo Club-- wielding sponges and buckets.

Customers can donate whatever they think is fair, and all the money collected by the Leo Club -- a youth adjunct to the Derwood Lions Club-- will go to support campers at Moss Hollow. "The Hollow," as its campers call it, is a place designed for children who need a summer break from their often difficult lives. Many come from foster homes; some have no home at all. Others come from families that are struggling to make ends meet.

Michael, who is Leo Club president, said his mom, Karen Buscemi, has been reading our columns and suggested that Camp Moss Hollow might be a worthwhile summer project.

"Our club . . . wanted to get together for one last activity," said Michael, who is headed to Magruder High School in September.

"For these kids, camp is the highlight of their summer, and these kids are at risk on the streets of D.C."

Michael called around to see if there was a gas station that would play host to a car wash, and that's how they found College Plaza Exxon.

Meanwhile, in Potomac, Shira Racoosin, 13, recently stuffed 17 care packages and sent them to Moss Hollow campers -- with some help from her older sisters and her mother, Lauren.

"I also go to camp," she said. "And I know it's really fun to get care packages with all the little treats and things."

Shira said she and her mom and sisters had a great time at Target and the Party Store picking out glittery lip gloss for the girls, plus playing cards, word search books, removable tattoos and other fun things to send off.

Shira recently made her Bat Mitzvah, and part of that tradition is giving back to the community. Sending care packages to Moss Hollow campers is a way of giving back, she said.

Shira's synagogue, Washington Hebrew Congregation, has adopted Abram Simon Elementary School in Anacostia, tutoring students, refurbishing the library and helping dozens of youngsters there attend Camp Moss Hollow. And several families, the Racoosins among them, make sure that the campers from Simon get those care packages. Simon is named for a rabbi from Washington Hebrew, who also led the D.C. Board of Education during the 1930s.

Michael and Shira said their summer camp experiences have broadened their outlooks and helped them mature. Michael said he can't wait to go back to Four-H camp in Maryland on Sunday.

"I like interacting with all the different people," he said.

Shira, who will be an eighth-grader at Charles E. Smith Hebrew Day School in Rockville this fall, returns to Camp Seafarer in North Carolina in about 10 days.

"It's like a whole other experience," she said. "You meet friends who are from all over. . . . You learn things you wouldn't have learned otherwise. . . . I've learned a lot about friendship at camp."

How to Help

These youngsters have given their time and enthusiasm to Camp Moss Hollow. You can help, too, by donating to our Send a Kid to Camp campaign. So far we have raised $252,353.10. Our goal is to raise $475,000 to give hundreds of needy youngsters a chance at this experience.

Moss Hollow, with its acres of woods, hiking trails, pond, pool and playing fields, is run by one of the area's oldest charities, Family and Child Services of Washington. It costs about $700 to send a child there, including transportation.

It seems a small amount when you hear young adults talk about what the camp meant to them. "Moss Hollow made me" is a frequent refrain.

To contribute, send a check or money order payable to "Send a Kid to Camp," P.O. Box 96237, Washington, D.C. 20090-6237.

Or contribute online by going to http://www.washingtonpost.com/camp. You'll see a place to make a donation. Click there.

To give via MasterCard or Visa by phone, call 202-334-5100 and follow the instructions.

The Hollow thanks you.