Camp Kaleidoscope
- arkadelphiaja
- Aug 1, 2015
- 3 min read
The ladies of the Junior Auxiliary of Arkadelphia hosted Camp Kaleidoscope from July 13–16, 2015 at the Lower Lake Dam Pavilion on Lake DeGray from 5–8 p.m. each evening.
Offering Camp Kaleidoscope, a free camp, has been a long-standing tradition for the ladies of the Junior Auxiliary. President Alannah McNeese, serving as emcee, welcomed the kids to camp and presented the events for the evening. Each night boasted a schedule full of activities for the children as well as a boxed dinner in a picnic-type atmosphere which was served to each child every evening of camp. Snacks and ice-cold water were also readily available. Children were treated to a mixture of traditional and non-traditional camp activities. “We planned an obstacle course, several craft projects, exciting games and fun in the sprinklers,” explained co-chair Lacy Wolfe. Spread throughout several days, campers enjoyed fun events like the wet & wild obstacle course and on-site jungle gym, spontaneous dance parties, creating chalk art and giant bubbles, and showing their artistic side by designing their own puppets and camp bandanas.
The campers also got to experience entertaining — and educational — guest speakers each evening; Monday brought Bill Rogers from Clark County Search and Rescue who taught the children what do to if they get lost and how to help yourself in a troublesome situation while, on Tuesday, Officer Hawthorn of the Clark County Sheriff's Department gave tips on how to stay safe and "say no" to strangers. On Wednesday they were treated to a presentation & fire truck display by the Arkadelphia Fire Department while Linda Goodner of Arkansas Game & Fish taught the children a rhyme about the food chain of the Arkansas wetlands on Thursday.
According to co-chair Amy Wilson, organizers had been planning, researching and shopping for months to prepare for camp. Acknowledging that it has been a bit of work to organize, Wolfe noted that it’s been a labor of love, revealing, “I have been more than happy to put forth such effort in planning in order to provide children with an exciting camp adventure.” Both Wilson and Wolfe agree that they hoped the event gave the children a unique, perhaps once in a lifetime, experience.
Members have expressed that camp was a great experience for them as well. Vice President and Projects Chair Jennifer Pittman added, “Our whole organization was very excited about camp. A lot of our work in the Junior Auxiliary is done behind the scenes, and not to diminish that very important work at all — because it allows us to host events like this one — but Camp Kaleidoscope is one of our projects where we get to interact with the children of Clark County, which is especially meaningful for our members.”
In the end, Camp Kaleidoscope is truly a community event. “We’d reached out to businesses for donations and have been so thankful for the generous support,” noted Wolfe. And so, the Junior Auxiliary of Arkadelphia would like to thank these local businesses and donors for their contributions to make this experience a success for Clark County’s children: Aaron's, Arkadelphia Fire Department, Brookshire’s, Chicken Express, Derrick Ross, DDS, First Presbyterian Church, River Rats and Walgreens. For more information about the Junior Auxiliary of Arkadelphia, please contact any Junior Auxiliary member or email us at ArkadelphiaJA@gmail.com.
Click here to see our 2015 Camp Kaleidoscope Photo Album!
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