living with words~: summer

Amidst shouts and wild cheers coming from rambunctious adults, who are wildly waving signs with names and their meanings in the air, sixty-four abused, neglected and often forgotten children arrive at camp. Some of the children who exit the two luxury buses which showed movies on the way up with happiness and their own joyful noise but others, the ones who are making their first trip to camp, exit slowly. Like war veterans looking ever so carefully for danger, little eyes peer at us with suspicion and doubt that anything good will come of their trip to the forest for Royal Family Kids Camp, Inc. (RFKC).

It is those battered hearts we hold camp for; the ones who need to know that there are adults in the world capable of loving them, capable of allowing them to have fun, who will encourage them to eat their fill and run until their lungs ache with happiness. Those distrusting eyes are the ones we train for and long to reach. The children that say things like; “My parents are in prison but it is okay because my new parents don’t beat me.” Or “I never realized until just now that I love my new foster family.” (From a nine year old girl who had been in five different homes.)

Steve and Valerie Burnette first became involved in Royal Family Kids Camp in 2000, when Valerie's father Walt passed away, because Valerie began attending with her mother in her Dad's place. Steve got involved in 2004 because, as Valerie puts it, "I started bleeding purple. The kids and the camp just kind of get into your blood and we started thinking that we could put a camp like that together in the Tri-Cities too because there was not anything for foster children in the eastern part of Washington. Valerie has been participating in the California camp and running the Washington camp since 2005, a feat that has become a year round job and she says even Christmas shopping seems lead to buying gifts for Everyone's Birthday Party.

RFKC is not a camp like any other camp around since it is manned entirely by volunteers, all who have a heart to serve abused, neglected and or abandoned children. The staff ratio to children is two adults per child. Yes, two per child. When the kids get off the bus they are assigned to a Counselor at the ratio of two kids per counselor; however, it takes a whole lot more people to make the team work. The Camp Directors efficiently orchestrate a musical of chaos and produce beautiful music, all to give a bunch of foster kids a week of normalcy. To give these young people a taste of what other people sometimes take for granted: camp, fun, friends, laughter, unconditional love, multiple chances to succeed, acceptance, a place to belong and community. It is difficult to understand unless these words from previous campers are also shared: “Are you really, really sure no one will come in our cabin tonight?” Or “We get to eat three times today? And a snack? What do we have to do in return?” Or even worse, “No, I don’t want to play dress. Well, maybe I will but only if you promise no one will take any pictures of me.” (She never did play dress up that year or any other year that she went to camp.)

Start up camps are often faced with obstacles when they begin, which is normally funding. For this camp, the challenge the first year, was actually getting children to go; despite the fact that there are anywhere from four hundred to four hundred and fifty children in the foster care system in our area at any given time. Getting kids is no longer the problem since that first year of only thirty four campers; our camp is always full and always has a waiting list. Word of mouth has assured that we will not have any problems getting kids who want to attend camp. As one little boy put it: “I wish I could live at camp!” Getting adults remains a challenge though, as many do not have the means to give up a week unpaid to go to camp and it is even more difficult to recruit men over women. Recruiting counselors and volunteers is a year round job, even falling onto the people who attend the camp as staff. For some of the toughest men in the area camp is the only time they seem to just melt, serving these kids puts their lives back into proper perspective and helps them see their own kids as God does. Just ask any man if it is worth the sacrifice he makes and most of them truly will ask, “What sacrifice?”

One dream that Wayne Tesch, the original founder of RFKC, has is that there be a camp in every corner for every kid to attend; Steve and Valerie are constantly vigilant to this call. 2008 will be the first time Bethel Church host its’ own camp after having gone threw the recruitment process of attending Faith’s camp for two years and attending Director’s training. The Burnette’s would love to see several more camps in the Eastern Washington area and remain committed to this dream, as well as committed to training up leadership to take over the camp should anything ever happen to them so that these kinds of comments aren’t lost forever:

“Camp is the only place I get spoiled.” 11 year old girl

“This is the second best birthday of my life. My best was last year at camp.”

“I’m just glad to have food.” 7 year old girl

“I never thought I’d say this, but Thank you!” 3^rd year ‘tough’ camper

Some kids get to return year after year until they reach the age of 11 and “age out” of our program, some only come to camp once. Our goal is to make the week that they are here one of the very best of their young lives and to give them a tangible proof of God’s love. Something they can hold on to, cling to. Cherish forever and give them hope for their futures. For many of us it is amazing to see the difference a week can make in their lives, one camp volunteer said; “What I was surprised by was not how much they needed us but by how much we needed them back.” The feeling of love and happiness are contagious. Many of the campers go home and talk about camp with everyone they meet from their foster parents, biological families, social workers and therapist to just other kids they know. One social worker sent this note: “This is awesome!!! Giving them memorable memories they will hold close to their heart for rest of their life. Thanks to all of you for caring enough to make a difference!!!”