The Rotary Club of Narre Warren and students from Berwick’s Chisholm Institute of TAFE are busy preparing for the ninth annual Camp Casey for Kids. Back from left: Students Stuart Morrish, Tegan Sugden, Jacqui Wimmers, Scott Kaye, Cale Popovits, Andrew Kehayas. Middle: Dean Richer, Jenna Cruickshank, Kevin Helfrich and Jennifer Allen. Front: Casey Alexander, Tyson Goldsack, Lisa McIntosh and Chisholm teacher and Rotarian Rob Hastings.By Rebecca Fraser
SOME Casey kids are set to receive a well-deserved break.
The Rotary Club of Narre Warren is busy raising funds for the annual Camp Casey For Kids, which will see 80 local kids descend on Mt Martha for four days of fun and adventure.
This with be the ninth year Rob Hastings, a sport and recreation teacher at Chisholm TAFE, has organised the camps.
Mr Hastings became a Rotarian a year ago and Chisholm students from Casey and Cardinia Shire will also attend the camp as volunteers, with one student to every two children.
The annual event is usually held in March but has been moved to September due to the Commonwealth Games.
This will be the first year two camps will be run, with 40 children attending the first from 18 to 21 September and 40 more from 25-28 September.
Mr Hastings said Rotary would send application forms to Casey primary schools and local agencies such as Windermere and OzChild seeking nominations.
A panel will then look at the nominations and select 80 students to attend the camp.
Mr Hastings said the selectors would have a difficult task on their hands.
He said children attending the camps had undergone some sort of trauma or been through a tough time in the past year.
“Some may have been severely burnt, others may have special needs, their parents may be involved with police, their parents may have had a heart attack or maybe they would not be able to come to a camp for religious or financial reasons,” Mr Hastings said.
He said the camps would also benefit his sport and recreation and sport and development students, who would get to put their skills to use in a practical environment while forging new friendships.
“This will be part of their course work and it is a fabulous opportunity for the students to be mentors and built relations with the children.
“It is quite a unique experience because the kids get to spend time with children their own age as well as adults.
“They just have a wonderful time and it is a very positive and powerful experience.
“The kids love it, they love it to death,” Mr Hastings said.
“They just don’t want to go home.
“They have the best time and there are some tears when they leave.”
Mr Hastings said the camp was normally open to children in grades five and six, but applications may be extended to children in grade four this year.
Anyone wanting to make a donation to Camp Casey for Kids can write to Narre Warren Rotary, Camp Casey for Kids, PO Box 16, Narre Warren, 3805.
