More than 200 West Virginia National Guardsmen were active Wednesday as flood relief continued in southern parts of the state. But not all jobs were related to clean-up. Many spent their day just having fun with the kids.
Since canceling their Youth Leaders camp, the National Guard held its first of three day camps it will host in the flood affected areas throughout the rest of July. The day camp Wednesday at Coonskin Park was co-hosted by the YMCA and included many activities for the flood victims and YMCA day campers who were invited.
The National Guard originally planned to hold its traditional in-residence Kids Kamp/Youth Leaders program this week at Camp Dawson in Preston County. However, the devastation in southern parts of the state caused them to redirect their efforts. Now, they’ve broken up the original program and they’re taking it to the areas where they feel children need it the most.
“We’re just hoping to give these kids a break of relief from what they’ve been through,” Lt Col Melissa Shade said.
More than 100 children attended the camp and enjoyed activities like climbing a rock wall, playing with live snakes and making paracord bracelets. Kids were also given the option to travel to the nearby Air National Guard Base to sit in helicopters and climb around a C-130.
Capt. Joe Booth and Capt. Mike Karolchik showed off the helicopters they’ve been trained to pilot, including the UH-60 Blackhawk, to kids who were eager to push the buttons and play in the cockpits.
Karolchik said they’ve helped in the flooded areas with search and rescues, damage assessments, and looking for victims. Both said it was nice to be able to bring the camp to the children affected and make it more accessible for parents.
The camp did experience some rain but managed to keep everyone going with activities, including a demonstration by the K-9 unit from the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.
Sgt. Paxton Lively brought his K-9, Arizona, to show the children how the dogs are trained and used in the Kanawha County School system to help curb drugs in the schools. He even showed off the pups favorite pair of sunglasses.
The second camp will be hosted July 20 in Lewisburg and the third will be held July 30 at Summit Bechtel Reserve in Fayette County. The West Virginia National Guard suggests monitoring its Facebook page for further details to be released.
Many children from flooded communities have signed up to attend the free summer day camp offered by the YMCA, which runs Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. until Aug. 5. It includes a free lunch and transportation from the Clendenin and Pinch volunteer fire departments daily.
For additional information about signing up for the free day camp, contact the YMCA at 304-340-3527.
Reach Jennifer Gardner at jennifer.gardner@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5102 or follow @JennC_Gardner on Twitter.