Thanks to the supporters of Americans Helping Americans®, 17 children had the time of their lives this summer attending summer camp operated by our partner in McDowell County, West Virginia, Big Creek People in Action (BCPIA). The camp included a two-night stay at a cabin in the Smoky Mountains.
For most, if not all, it was the first time in their young lives that they had gone on an actual “vacation” and been away from home.
“The kids experienced things they've never done before, including watching a great dinner show and enjoying the activities at WonderWorks” (an entertainment center focused on science exhibits) in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, reported BCPIA executive director Dyanne Spriggs.
“They thanked us for giving them the best time of their lives!” she added.
Before the grand trip, Dyanne told us that the kids were picked up and brought to the BCPIA center (a former high school) “where they did crafts like painting wooden figurines and planting seeds for our community garden and flowers for our center.”
The kids also participated in tie-dying projects and enjoyed frequent visits to a local park to play and have fun outdoors in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains.
In addition, Dyanne explained that the campers learned valuable lessons they would carry with them for the rest of their lives.
“All the kids learned to be responsible for their belongings and how to clean up after themselves to help keep our cabin in good order,” said Dyanne.
“Our kids also learned to look out for one another and be respectful and mindful of their surroundings. The older kids also took the younger kids under their wing to help keep our group together in such large crowds.
“Our program is more like a family where everybody looks out for everybody else.”
Dyanne cited two instances in particular that made her incredibly proud:
“We ate lunch on the way at a Golden Corral, where we received a compliment on how well-mannered our kids were,” she reported. “We had breakfast at Reagan’s House of Pancakes (in Pigeon Forge), where the kids’ favorite foods of choice were watermelon and, of course, pancakes!”
One of their servers asked about what kind of program or group they were, and Dyanne told her they were members of an afterschool program in McDowell County.
“She told us that we should be proud of ourselves as instructors and mentors for having such an incredibly well-behaved group of kids.
“Our hearts were so full,” Dyanne said of herself and the six adult chaperones assisting on the trip.
And while there were no real problems, Dyanne noted that “a couple of the younger kids who had never been away from home got a little homesick the first night when it was bedtime.
“But we turned on our ‘Mommy Mode’ and gave them plenty of goodnight hugs, and they were fine,” she said, noting that “these were also the ones who later said that this was the best time they had ever had.”
In sum, Dyanne wants the supporters of Americans Helping Americans® who made this all possible to know:
“Taking a group of sheltered kids to the Smoky Mountains for a few days is phenomenal.
“There are so many things to do there, and most of them never get to go on a vacation, so they loved it!”
