|
Volunteer group spearheads vision for youth camp One person’s vision can affect hundreds, maybe thousands of others. The late Ottie Cook, founder of the 96-year old Church of God in Caledonia, had a vision to develop a camp in Mumford, NY. for inner city youth, where they could enjoy nature and a variety of character building activities. Ironically it was Cook’s death that brought her vision to reality with her bequeathal of 126 pristine acres of land on Flint Hill Road to the churches she founded, the Caledonia and Rochester First Churches of God. Church volunteers helped Cook’s vision for the youth camp flourish for several years after her death but in the past four decades, the camp became dormant and has since fallen into severe disrepair. Caledonia First Church of God Pastor Laura Kelley, along with a dedicated group of volunteers from the Caledonia, Mumford and surrounding areas, have resurrected the vision and are spearheading the effort to revitalize Camp Ottie Canaan for youth. Kelley, along with several volunteers from the Cal-Mum community, comprises a committee that is appropriately named the Care About Kids group. They’ve held regular meetings since July 2008 to plan how they will accomplish Cook’s vision. They’ve identified their mission, which is, "To serve youth by nurturing their character, stimulating their minds, and providing physical recreation in a fresh air setting." Camp Ottie Canaan, Inc. is now a member of the ACA, American Camp Association, which assists interested parties to develop a blueprint for camp success. Six churches of the same reformation, including the Caledonia First Church of God, two Buffalo, two Rochester and a Sodus church, own the camp. Dean LoBrutto recently moved to Mumford and through a friend, heard about the camp. Immediately LoBrutto knew he wanted to become involved. He shared his enthusiasm with his girlfriend Lisa Wasson and his mother Maureen Shea who also joined the Care About Kids team. Casey Callan, Rick and Debbie Smith, Don and Elizabeth Sears, Jim Tegeder and Lonnie Smith round out the team of volunteers who, along with Kelley, have already invested numerous hours at the camp restoring the original building and bringing the camp up to standard. The team meets every month to establish short and long term plans for what programs and amenities Camp Ottie Canaan will offer to the youth of the community and the greater Rochester area. Among the plans, the Care About Kids team expects the camp to offer a variety of youth programs, including week-long camp experiences amidst the wide open fields and rolling hills situated along the banks of Oatka Creek, known for some of the best fishing in New York State. Eventually, the team plans to implement yearlong programs that may include multi-purpose programs available to corporations for meetings, team building, training, etc. Though the team is not limiting its expectations for the camp, its main goal will remain at the forefront: to become a place where youth can enjoy and appreciate the beauty of nature while learning life principles, values and character first hand from caring individuals. The goal is to prepare and return good citizens to the community who will, in turn, invest the same in the next generation. A fundraiser for Camp Ottie will take place in Caledonia on the first weekend in June as part of the Caledonia community yard sales and the Trailways to Treasures weekend event that involves exciting community-wide yard sales and events along Routes 5 and 20 from Lima to Caledonia. The Camp Ottie sale will be held at the railroad depot building next to the Iroquois Hotel on North Street, Caledonia. Clean out your attic, basement and closets and make a donation of goods to the sale to benefit the camp. Tickets will also be sold for a chance to win a wide-screen television. If you would like more information about how you can get involved with Camp Ottie Canaan, please contact Laura Kelley at 226-8746 or Rick Smith at 538-2273 or visit their website at www.campottie.org click on image below to enlarge ...
|
