MDA summer camp is a special time

Chances are on a sunny, summer afternoon you won't find Roy Thorson of Wausau driving a pontoon boat, or Nick Zehner from Neenah giving thumbs up to a motorcycle ride, or Green Bay's Nick Frankow playing table tennis, or Billy Kocha of Howard jumping in for a swim.

But this has not been your normal week. This has been a week for these campers and three dozen of their friends to enjoy all of those things and more at MDA Summer Camp on the shores of and in Green Lake.

A week many say is their best of the year, a chance to meet new friends and for Emilee and Rhena meet up with old ones.

"When we get together we take it, we try to make it the best,” said Emilee Lund.

"She's my best friend, best friends because of camp. Because we met here, if it wasn't for this, I would never have gotten a chance to know her,” said Rhena Ripley.

Each camper has an adult counselor friend to help them through the week away from home. And it's also a special time for the counselors, like the Masse family from Green Bay. Ruthann, Dylan and Carrie back again to help the Stark sisters, Maggie and Casey from Oshkosh.

"I mean I get everything out of camp. This is the week. It's very humbling and it's also very inspiring,” said Carrie Masse.

So, whether it's catching a big bass or tossing those water balloons, it's a time to learn and share and try new things. Or at least think about new things.

For Robbie Ivey of Iron River, the swimming will have to wait. But he did make me a promise.

"You didn't go in the water this year? Yip. But you're going next year? Maybe. I need a promise. Yes! Promise? Yes. Next year? Yes. Excellent. Have a great camp. OK. All right."

And that's what they'll all look forward to now, next year.
It costs about $800 to send a child to MDA camp which is for children ages 6-17 with one of the more than 40 neuromuscular diseases at Pilgrim Center Camp.

Raising the money to send Jerry's Kids to camp will be one of the goals of this year's Labor Day Telethon. By the way, this will be WLUK's 40th consecutive year carrying the telethon.