Friday, Aug. 2, 2002 | 2:24 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION: Aug. 3, 2002
The mother of 10-year-old twin boys says they are honor roll students who love sports. They do all their chores around the house without receiving any allowance. They have never been camping in the mountains. Their mother says it would be an awesome experience for them.
She cannot afford to send them to camp because of financial difficulties and an impending divorce. She is asking for the Sun Camp Fund's help.
The mother of other two children says they desperately need to be involved with and interact with other children. They are not involved in sports or do not socialize with other children in the apartment complex where they live.
"Camp would do wonders for their self-esteem and their depression," the mother says. "They always complain to me that they want to do something, but I sincerely cannot afford to do anything with them except take them to the park."
The mother works part time and only brings home $700 per month. She receives some assistance from her parents and is looking for another job. She is seeking the Sun Camp Fund's help to provide her children with a camping opportunity.
Another mother says her daughter is like any typical 10-year-old. The girl likes Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys, playing with her friends and lip-syncing to her favorite songs. But she's also special because she was born with a congenital birth defect and did not walk until she was 3 years old.
The girl spent much of the first years of her life in hospitals. She never cried or complained, her mother says. She would always greet everyone with a big smile no matter how uncomfortable she was.
Throughout the years she has maintained that attitude and tenacity, her mother says.
"She has never felt sorry for herself or different from others, and goes out of her way to be kind to everyone, even those who aren't so kind to her. She has a great sense of humor and is always laughing," her mother says.
The girl has asked to go to camp, and her mother is seeking the Sun Camp Fund's help.
Sometimes simple things, such as toasting marshmallows and singing around the campfire and spending time around camp counselors who are positive role models are the memories that a child will carry with her through the rest of her life.
By joining contributors to the Las Vegas Sun Camp Fund you are making a difference in a child's life.
Some recent contributors to the Las Vegas Sun Summer Camp Fund:
Arnold and Velma Thowsen; Gertrude A. Wood/Lillian J. Cockrell; Chester 'Rusty' and Stephanie Wilson; Daniel and Amelia Cashdan; Maryellen Reilly-Taylor and Michael L. Taylor; Terry Rostocki; Randall and Claire Rosenthal; Irwin Molasky/Paradise Development; Charlotte Hill; and George and Eileen Brookman for their 61st wedding anniversary.
Rachel Waters/Stephen Halliday; Frank and Donna Kowalczyk; Nemorio and Marie Baltazar, Nevada Pacific Dental Inc., Sprint, Phyllis J. McGuire; Jeanne F. Block, Mandalay Resort Group; and Tropicana Las Vegas.
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