By Brittany Boddy
Mccomb Native continues the legacy of her mother by hosting their 39th annual summer camp, Camp Sunshine.
Camp Sunshine, is a five day, four night camp for both mentally and physically handicapped children and adults ranging from five to 85 years old.
Margaret Ann Morgan, whose mother Rebecca “Becky” Morgan founded the camp in 1976. “I’ve been going to camp since I was born, my mom started the camp in 1976 with a group of folks in the community and church and through bridge development, which was basically a school for special education kids in the 70s,” said Morgan.
The campers get to participate in activities such as swimming, dancing, and arts and crafts where they can be themselves without the hindering of their disability.
She also mentioned that Camp Sunshine counselors are assigned to one or two campers for the week. Their main responsibility is to bathe and feed their campers. Their overall goal is to make sure that they are the campers’ buddy for the week.
In the past two years, there have been about 130 counselors and about 110 campers attending camp. Counselors consist of 9-12 grade students and some college students.
She begin behind the scenes work in April, three months before the camp starts to prepare for camp in July.
Matching counselors with their campers is one of the main factors in a successful week. She matches each counselor with each camper depending on the campers disability and the amount of experience the counselor has with the camp.
Along with the help of the community, Morgan hopes to keep the legacy alive.
Camp Sunshine, is a five day, four night camp for both mentally and physically handicapped children and adults ranging from five to 85 years old.
Margaret Ann Morgan, whose mother Rebecca “Becky” Morgan founded the camp in 1976. “I’ve been going to camp since I was born, my mom started the camp in 1976 with a group of folks in the community and church and through bridge development, which was basically a school for special education kids in the 70s,” said Morgan.
The campers get to participate in activities such as swimming, dancing, and arts and crafts where they can be themselves without the hindering of their disability.
She also mentioned that Camp Sunshine counselors are assigned to one or two campers for the week. Their main responsibility is to bathe and feed their campers. Their overall goal is to make sure that they are the campers’ buddy for the week.
In the past two years, there have been about 130 counselors and about 110 campers attending camp. Counselors consist of 9-12 grade students and some college students.
She begin behind the scenes work in April, three months before the camp starts to prepare for camp in July.
Matching counselors with their campers is one of the main factors in a successful week. She matches each counselor with each camper depending on the campers disability and the amount of experience the counselor has with the camp.
Along with the help of the community, Morgan hopes to keep the legacy alive.
By Andre'El Brown, Myka Barnes, Brittany Boddy