'You Can Always Find a Friend' and Great Fun at Moss Hollow, a Young Camper Learns

Marcus Shoulders sometimes sidles up to his mother and says, "I need a sibling."

He isn't shy about it. "Maybe two or three," adds Marcus. He's 9 and lives in Forestville.

"I tell him, 'No, maybe one,' " said Marcus's mother, Nekeisha Shoulders.

Marcus had a sibling briefly, a little sister named Deja Navay Clark. She was born prematurely in June and lived just four hours, passing away the day after Father's Day.

"When we explained it to him, he said, 'Why does God have to take all the good people?' " his mom said.

Marcus does karate, loves to read, plays video games, is in the Boy Scouts and sings in church. He misses the sister he never got to know. "In Sunday school he drew a picture of her with wings," Nekeisha said. "I thought that was so awesome."

Nekeisha wasn't sure about letting Marcus go to summer camp. There was the lingering sadness over his sister, plus the fact that he'd never been to sleep-away camp before.

"I was still kind of shaky about letting him go there," she said. But she took a day trip to Camp Moss Hollow, organized by Family Matters of Greater Washington, the nonprofit group that runs the camp. Impressed by what she saw, she signed him up. It's a family tradition.

"I attended the same camp 20-plus years ago," she said, laughing.

I saw Marcus recently after a week at camp. What did you do there, I asked? He learned to swim. ("It was kind of complicated," he said, understatedly.) He went on a hike, pitched a tent and slept in the woods. He went on a ropes course and climbed over a wall with the help of his teammates. He saw a crawfish and salamander near Moss Hollow's lake. He helped clear plates and clean tables in the dining hall. He sang "Jesus in Me" at the camp talent show, a song he learned at First Baptist Church in Suitland.

In short, he had a great time. I asked what he would tell a kid who was thinking about going. Marcus thought for a moment.

"I would say, 'Hey, you should go to Camp Moss Hollow, because Moss Hollow is very fun. You get to do all sorts of activities. There's a sign there that says, "You can always find a friend at the Hollow." It's true.' "

Nekeisha, 37, works at the Department of Homeland Security. In September she's marrying Allen Clark, Deja Navay's father. And then?

"Just one more for Marcus," Nekeisha said. "He really needs a sibling."

Send a Kid to Camp

We are not in the sibling-delivery business here at "John Kelly's Washington," but we are in the week-at-camp business. Supporting the activities at Camp Moss Hollow is one way to help at-risk kids in the Washington area.

Many of you have fond memories of camp and the difference it made in your lives. Washington's Barbara Dinsmore shared hers: "As a child I had only two weeks away at camp, but those two weeks were bliss -- away from my parents, canoeing, making lanyards, sharing a tent with new friends, swimming, drinking 'bug juice' and milk out of the big stainless steel dispenser, developing crushes on the counselors, etc.

"I cannot begin to imagine a day without the sound of birds chirping, bees buzzing, the sight of a hawk or snake or strange insect. Or the wonderful sound of pure quiet, away from the traffic and Metro bus, leaf blowers, people endlessly yakking on their cellphones. Here's to wonderful experiences for all the campers at Moss Hollow and my thanks to you and The Post for doing all you do to makes these trips possible for so many."

The final days are ticking down. This year's campaign ends Friday. Our goal is $500,000 and we stand at $357,588.23.

To make a tax-deductible gift, send a check or money order, payable to "Send a Kid to Camp," to P.O. Box 96237, Washington, D.C. 20090-6237. Or contribute online by going to http://www.washingtonpost.com/camp and clicking on the donation link. To use MasterCard or Visa by phone, call 202-334-5100 and follow the instructions on our taped message.

Here's another way to give: Dine at any area Clyde's restaurant today, or at the Old Ebbitt Grill. When you order the local eggplant parmesan or Virginia blackberry pie with ice cream, a portion of the proceeds will benefit Send a Kid to Camp.

Today's the last day of this special offer. Clyde's is also providing gift certificates to last-minute donors. Donate $125 before the campaign ends and you'll receive a $25 Clyde's gift certificate. Give $200 and you'll receive a $50 gift certificate.

Help me come up with a slogan for my Radical Civility campaign. See my blog, "John Kelly's Commons," for details: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/commons.