Sun Starting to Set on Dreams Of a Better Summer

By Alice Reid
Friday, July 18, 2008

When our Send a Kid to Camp campaign kicked off in early June, we set an ambitious goal of raising $475,000 by July 25 -- enough to cover at least a week at Camp Moss Hollow in the Blue Ridge foothills for hundreds of children who otherwise wouldn't have much of a summer.

We thank all of you who have contributed to the campaign, and we ask those of you who haven't yet to help us make our goal. We are still short $146,512.90 -- a rather daunting amount.

So as you're relaxing by the pool, sending your children off to camp or filling the car with friends for a weekend at Rehoboth Beach, remember that there are youngsters whose circumstances don't allow such pleasures. For more than a century, the private charity Family and Child Services has been providing summer fun at camp for just those kids.

The 400-acre Camp Moss Hollow provides an alternative to being stuck inside with only television or video games for company. It provides a safe environment, when summer in the city might otherwise expose kids to possible mischief on the streets.

As one 10-year-old girl told me recently when I asked her why she had come to camp, "My daddy thought this would be a good time for me to stay away from the dangerous things around my house."

With woodsy hills, rustic cabins and a staff of caring adults who provide three square meals a day, Moss Hollow offers the fun and freedom all children deserve, no matter where they come from.

Moss Hollow provides an alternative to today's plugged-in and hyped-up life. IPods are left at home. Video games and television are banned. Instead, campers discover what it means to be quiet, to read or play a board game, to listen to the slap of a canoe paddle on the pond's surface, the songs of cardinals, even the screech of an eagle. And, yes, there is an eagle's nest nearby.

We want to thank readers who have stepped up and contributed $328,487.10 so youngsters can experience Moss Hollow. And we have been amazed at the clever ways many of you have found to give.

This month, we wrote about Michael Buscemi, 14, who organized his pals in the Shady Grove Middle School Leo Club and held a carwash to benefit Send a Kid to Camp. The group made $386.73.

On Monday, about 75 women attended an invitation-only party, hosted by the Georgetown Ritz-Carlton and organized by Mame Reiley and Tani Lublin, to benefit Moss Hollow. The two are neighbors at Marina Towers in Alexandria. The guests nibbled hors d'oeuvres and sipped beverages in the bar while they got makeup tips and mini-makeovers from Saks Fifth Avenue and Chanel experts. Mostly, Lublin said, they just had a great time and raised more than $1,900 so more youngsters could have a great time, too -- at Camp Moss Hollow.

And take note, flea market fans: You might want to check out 3 Chevy Chase Cir. tomorrow, where All Saints Church is holding a yard sale. Proceeds go to Moss Hollow scholarships, and organizer Sally Griffin says there will be lots of toys, books, vintage objects and collectibles for sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Individual gifts to Send a Kid to Camp have arrived in our mail with all sorts of notes, many saying how important a camp experience can be.

James and Dorothy Young of Lanham sent this with their $120 gift from part of their federal stimulus check:

"During a rough time in our lives, all four of our kids were selected to attend Moss Hollow Camp years ago. What a break for us. What a break for the kids!! So what better way . . . to help another family in need."

Edith Chase of the District sent a $200 gift in memory of her husband, Marston Stann Chase, who died in January. Mrs. Chase said that her husband had been an avid fan of the outdoors and that the couple had always contributed to our campaign.

"I'm sure that Stann is pleased to know that I'm continuing to do so. Thank you for your work in helping kids enjoy nature," she wrote.

Last, but not least, the counselors and staff of Moss Hollow are putting together a gift. They are hoping to raise enough -- $700 -- to send a kid to camp next summer.

There's Still Time to Help

You can send a check or money order payable to "Send a Kid to Camp" to P.O. Box 96237, Washington, D.C. 20090-6237. To contribute online, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/camp. You will 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 on our taped message.

You can also bid on five box-seat tickets, worth $95 apiece, to the sold-out production of "The Lion King" at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Kennedy Center. Family and Child Services of Washington is holding a silent auction for the tickets, and the proceeds will go to Send a Kid to Camp. Bids will be accepted until midnight July 25.

To place your bid, go to http://donations.ebay.com/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=26207 and follow the instructions. Questions about the auction? Call Family and Child Services at 202-289-1510.

And don't forget that McCormick & Schmick's is providing a certificate for lunch for two to anyone who gives Send a Kid to Camp $250 or more. Donors of $500 or more will get a certificate for dinner for two at the seafood restaurant chain.