President's Message October 2012
Big plans are in store for the Akron Rotary Camp this fall, as it plans to break ground on October 17th for the final installment of its $3.5 million campus renovation, according to Akron Rotary Camp President Mike Wojno. “The camp is thrilled to begin the ‘last leg’ of our transformational remodeling of our ‘Jewell on the lake,’” Wojno says. “The improvements to our camp will allow us to bring more blessing to a greater number of kids, while increasing the quality of their stay with us.”
Each summer for the last 88 years the Rotary Club of Akron has sponsored the Akron Rotary Camp, where children with special needs throughout Ohio have been invited to spend a week at camp.
“When campers leave Rotary Camp at the end of each session, they not only leave with lifelong memories and friends, but often show more independence as well as a greater understanding of themselves and their abilities,” Bonnie says.
The Rotary camp has already raised $2.8 million in its renovation campaign, and the funds have been used to already renovate seven cabins and a new bathhouse, with the addition of a new health facility coming soon.
Camper parent and nurse Sur Burdicko is excited about the new health facility that will come with the renovation. She explains that her daughter Christie, 27, started coming to Rotary Camp when she was only 6 years old. “This provided respite for our family when there were not any other options for getting a break from being 24/7 caregivers,” Burdicko says. “The new health facility will make such a difference in helping to provide a safe environment for the campers.”
Phil Maynard, a major financial contributor to the campus renovations, says “The Akron Rotary Camp is a very special place where they do so many wonderful things for very special children.” Maynard explains that his foundation, the Maynard Family Foundation, feels so privileged to help support the Rotary’s mission.
Other large contributors to the renovation include the Akron Rotary Foundation, Dick and Diane Wright, Roger and Judy Read, the Lehner Foundation, The Corbin Foundation, Medical Mutual’s Community Investment Fund of the Akron Community Foundation, Rennick and Dee Andreoli, Akron Children’s Hospital, the Crystal Arthritis Center, JM Smucker Company and many more.
The renovation campaign is co-chaired by Nick and Ruthie George and Jack and Vivian Harig.
For more information about the Akron Rotary Camp, please call the camp offices at (330) 664-4512 or visit them online at http://akronymca.org/RotaryCamp.aspx.
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