Helping to Heal the Spirit of Children

Victims of S. California Fires Have a Week of Fun and Fellowship

By Tempie D. Beaman
Disaster Services Division, Southern California

Camp Noah, a faith-based therapeutic day camp for children in grades K-6 who were affected by southern California wildfires, was held during Spring Break, at Ramona Community School, California. "Camp Noah was truly a blessing for these 50 children and it was an ecumenical effort," explained Tempie Beaman, Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW), Disaster Response Coordinator for southern California. "It allowed the children to release some of their anxiety and feel safe again,"

LSS-SW is a Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) affiliate who worked collaboratively with Recover San Diego, a joint ministry of the Episcopal Community Services, Metro United Methodist Urban Ministry, the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, and the San Diego District of the United Methodist Church to host this camp.

Leadership and volunteers came from across the country, Cindy Johnson, Camp Noah National Program Director, along with 13 volunteers from Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio and northern California arrived in San Diego, California, on Resurrection Sunday, March 23. The team organized and ran a week of activities that included group sessions, skits, music and arts and crafts including making emergency kits.

The whole week was a tribute to kindness and generosity. The day campers and the volunteer staff spent a day at Sea World, which generously donated tickets for all the students and their chaperones. Thanks to the generosity and hospitality of the Lutheran, Episcopal and United Methodist churches in the area, the volunteers did not have to "rough it." The congregations' members opened their homes to the volunteers or hosted them for evening meals. The volunteers were generous, too. Not only did they travel long distances at their own expense, they came bearing gifts for the children. Some brought hand-made quilts their congregations made for the children.

Michael Wilson, Recover San Diego Director remarked, "This is an example of the church carrying out it's mission to be a blessing to those that we come in contact with. We are the body of Christ, and our job is to do what Jesus would do, and certainly, Jesus would reach out to the children to make sure they were healed. This is what Camp Noah did, making sure the children were healed."

If you have any questions, please contact Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest is Tempie D. Beaman at 323.299-0729, tbeaman@lss-sw.org or Recover San Diego Director, Michael Wilson at (619) 228-2887 or MWilson@ecscalifornia.org.