Sticky sno-cones and cotton candy made a fun day even better Wednesday as hundreds of young people converged on the lawn at Clarkston Junior High for SCAMP’s annual VIP and Carnival Day.
Every year, the event gives supporters an opportunity to see the program in full swing and look into the faces of the children it serves’and also gives the kids a fun day of games, prizes and goodies.
‘It was a wonderful day,? said Donna Clancy, SCAMP’s executive director of fundraising. ‘It’s always nice to get people out to see this wonderful program that exists in our community.?
SCAMP is a six-week summer program offering young people with special needs an opportunity to make music and art, play games, practice motor skills, swim, fish and go on field trips.
It’s a three-day-per-week experience, say SCAMP facilitators, the children would not otherwise have.
This year, SCAMPers got a special treat at Carnival Day when Dan Dickerson, voice of the Detroit Tigers, stopped by for a visit and stuck around to play a few games with the kids.
‘The immediate thing you’re struck by is all the volunteers,? said Dickerson, who makes his home in Independence Township with wife Lori Anne and their children Rachel and Justin. ‘It really makes you feel good about the community we live in.?
Dickerson played a few rounds of musical chairs with SCAMPers, and also tried his arm at the soccer ball toss.
‘I got one in,? he laughs. ‘It’s supposed to be my specialty, so I must be having an off day.?
Dickerson said it was his first time visiting SCAMP.
‘I’ve heard about it and knew about it, but to see it first hand has been a lot of fun,? he said. ‘I was happy to come out and support them.?
Clancy said many, like Dickerson, unfailingly contribute to the organization through donations and fund-raising events each year, but most have never seen how SCAMP comes to life when the kids arrive each summer.
And, she noted, some don’t realize the benefits of SCAMP reach far into the lives of mainstream kids, too.
Kathryn Genoa, a Clarkston High School senior, works at SCAMP every summer.
“It’s a good experience for me,? she said, helping her SCAMPer, Jessika, guess at how many tiny soccer balls were in a big jar. ‘It’s a really good camp for the kids. It opens your eyes to things other people have to put up with every day.?
But at CJHS last week, it was all about the fun.
‘We’ve go a lot of happy SCAMPers who are super excited,? said Danielle Melcher, assistant SCAMP director, who worked hard to keep up with the crowd at the sno-cone station she helped man.
‘We’re happy to see so many people coming out to see us and having fun.?
SCAMP’s other assistant director, Matt Gifford, agreed.
‘It’s been a great, great day,? he said. ‘Last year it poured rain, but the whether is beautiful today.?
Gifford also pointed out a big inflatable bounce house purchased for SCAMP with money raised by fourth-graders at Andersonville Elementary.
‘We’ve been renting that kind of air equipment when we want to use it,? he said. ‘This will save us a lot of money, plus we can pull it out anytime, like when it rains and the kids can’t go outside.”
The fourth-graders, he said, sold bagels and had other fundraisers and ultimately collected over $2,000 for the bounce house.
‘We’re so grateful,? he said. ‘And so happy to have it.?