Kids head north to Kamp Kiwanis

The East Meadow chapter sent 28 disadvantaged kids this year

Posted

“Memories begin here,” reads a sign as you enter Kamp Kiwanis. The 102-acre property located just north of Rome, New York is nestled deep in the woods and is the perfect getaway for kids.

Each year, East Meadow Kiwanis members raise funds to send local kids to the camp and this year is no exception. On Sunday, 27 campers and one counselor-in-training will board the bus and head north for an adventure they’ll never forget.

The campers will spend a week forming friendships as they perform skits, take guided nature hikes, and enjoy fishing, swimming and canoeing on the lake. In addition to fostering outdoor adventures, the kitchen also houses a library where kids can pick up books as desired.

These character and leadership-building activities would not have been possible without the East Meadow Kiwanis, a community organization that continuously gives back, particularly to children in need.

The children selected to attend camp come from families who may be experiencing financial challenges, explained Alan Alterman, distinguished past-president and committee chair for Kamp Kiwanis. “These children would have not ordinarily benefitted from a week at sleep-away camp,” he said, “and we find that this experience is very rewarding.”

“We take kids who are suffering from day to day riggers of everyday life,” added David Rothman, a longtime East Meadow Kiwanian and Kamp Kiwanis chairperson.

This year, students from George McVey, Bowling Green, Barnum Woods, Parkway and Meadowbrook elementary schools, as well as Woodland and W.T. Clarke middle schools will attend Kamp Kiwanis.

Once a youngster at Meadowbrook Elementary School, Vinny Lombardo was chosen to attend Kamp Kiwanis for the first time when he was in third grade. Now, a recent graduate from W.T. Clarke High School, he will return for his third year as a counselor-in-training. “I like getting away [and] hanging out with the kids,” he said.

Lombardo said he is excited to meet his campers, as well as the other counselors. He said it’s particularly memorable to interact with the international staff that hails from Europe, Asia and Australia.

East Meadow Kiwanis raised more than $14,500 through fundraisers, including a reverse raffle, and a small contribution from the East Meadow Chamber to send the kids to camp. Over the years, the club has also donated funds to build a new cabin, which was dedicated to the late East Meadow Kiwanian Larry Fielder in May 1997, and update the baseball diamond, an area named John Gaglione Field in honor of the East Meadow Kiwanian and long-time Kiwanis District Foundation president.