July 24, 1964
Every Monday, a group of children leave the hot, crowded streets of South El Paso for a week at Camp Juan Diego.
There, at the camp, located on a hill at the end of a cotton filed, between North Loop drive and Freeway, they swim, play games, take lessons in arts and crafts and make as much noise as they like.
For most of the children, the camp is their only contact with animals and nature.
“We hope to expand facilities,” said Rev. Richard M. Thomas, director of Our Lady’s Youth Center, sponsor of the camp.
“We want to use the camp, in a limited manner, during the winter, too. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the help and devotion of hundreds of El Pasoans.”
And how the camp has grown! It was started six years ago by Rev. Harold J. Rahm S.J., founder of OLYC and Father Thomas’ predecessor. “Facilities” consisted of an old adobe hut on land donated by the K.B. Ivey family.
Only a few children were taken to the camp during the early years, to get fresh air and exercise.
This year, new barracks, replacing last year’s lean-to huts, are in use. There are four large rooms in the building. In addition, the camp has a combination recreation and classroom. And best of all, 600 children, a new record, will get a taste of outdoor life.
“Every year is a record year,” said Mrs. Margaret Halloran, a board member of OLYC, who has been responsible for a great part of the camp buildings and facilities.
Cost?
“It exists on a budget of less than $2000 a year,” said Father Thomas. “This does not include donations of food and materials by hundreds of people and business firms.”
One of the largest gifts this year is an entire house, donated by El Paso Sertoma Club. It’s on cement blocks now, but when a foundation is completed and the building readied, it will be used as a barracks for counselors.
The children, up at 6 a.m., clean their barracks, raise the flag and eat breakfast of hot cereal, eggs, toast and milk. Recreation follows. Lunch is sometime sandwiches eaten under the trees. Smaller children then take naps while the older ones play on the hard surfaced courts or work at arts and crafts.
After a filling hot supper, counselors hold vesper services and the children prepare for bed. Sometimes a group of children, will sleep under the stars, a little way from camp, with a counselor.
There’s a 26 by 70 foot swimming pool, which started out to be 24 by 36 feet but sand kept caving in during excavation.
The Iveys decided to make the pool larger each time we had a cave-in,” Mrs. Halloran recalled. “It was fortunate, for the camp, that it happened. That’s why we have such a nice large pool.”
The first thing you have to do is change your mindset. If you are dreading the trip then the trip will be no fun. Think of it as an opportunity for the family to reconnect and this is a wonderful idea to join Camp Juan Diego because have a good fun for childrens.
Posted by: custom essay | September 29, 2010 at 05:41 AM