Into the Woods, Thanks to High-Rise Residents

For a decade, the folks who live at Marina Towers condominiums in Alexandria have been raising money to send kids to Camp Moss Hollow--nearly $50,000 over the past 10 years, in fact.

This year, residents plan to raise another hunk of change. And to kick off that effort, what better way than to set out a spread of camp food for a "Get to Know Moss Hollow" evening.

So over pigs in blankets, strawberries, lemonade and s'mores melted in the condo association president's oven, residents gathered recently to hear Moss Hollow Director Hope Asterilla explain what that idyllic patch of woodland offers the children lucky enough to go there.

She talked about what the quiet of the natural world can do for campers who normally don't have much of a summer vacation in the heat and hustle of urban life.

About half of the 700 campers who will enjoy Moss Hollow this summer will come from situations that can defeat what most of us think of as childhood. Many have been shuttled from one foster home to another or suffered abuse from relatives or caregivers. Some live in shelters because their parents have lost their homes. Others come from homes where, in this fragile economy, their parents are struggling to keep their jobs. And all but a few would be unable to go to the camp but for the generosity of such people as the residents of this high-rise on the Potomac River.

"We give them a chance to be children," Asterilla told the group. "First, they get to play. Then they learn the responsibility of doing chores: keeping their cabins clean, helping in the kitchen. But above all, they have fun."

She stressed the camp's theme: "The Nature of Knowing," which will turn Moss Hollow's 400 acres and dozens of activities into learning reinforcements "so children don't lose what they've worked on academically all year." She talked about hikes, and mastering the art of canoe paddling, and such old-fashioned games as hopscotch and double Dutch ("played without any technology!" she added).

She didn't have much convincing to do. Marina Towers residents are a committed group. Many remember sending their own children to camp, or going to camp themselves, and want that same advantage for other kids.

Resident Ann Kaupp, a Smithsonian employee, spent summers in the Adirondacks, where she and her cousins caught frogs, went fishing and picked berries for breakfast.

"Those were the highlights of my childhood," she said. "Here's an opportunity for these kids to get out into nature."

Judy Cooper and her husband, Robert Hull, have been supporting Marina Tower's Moss Hollow connection for several years now.

"My husband was once a foster child himself," Cooper explained. "So this is close to his heart."