Van Buren 4-H Volunteers at Camp
Published: Friday, June 15, 2018
Van Buren Voyagers 4-H club joins with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to share the motto: No Child Left inside. Voyagers Club wanted to ensure that truly meant 'no' child left inside by taking the initiative to introduce children with special needs (ages 5-26) to their natural surroundings on May 26 at Camp Kidwell.
There were 36 children attending, with an overall of 33 families. With a combination of local volunteers, 4-H volunteers and Camp Kidwell staff, there were over 100 volunteers for the event.
Voyagers key leader and special educator Alexander deFinta notes that, "Due to limitations, special needs children may not be encouraged to go outside. This is unfortunate because nature may be just the right prescription to improve their health. Voyagers hosted OAKS to encourage special needs children to experience nature and continue using ecotherapy in their daily lives. OAKS also instilled a sense of conservancy in these very special young people that will develop their interest in natural sciences."
Children enjoyed the managed wilderness of Camp Kidwell in Bloomingdale, while engaging in hands-on activities involving archery, BB gun, bigfoot lore, camping, backpacking, campfire lunch, fishing rod casting and water biology, a frog jump/turtle race, horseback riding, musical entertainment, insects, trees/forestry, fossil geology, climbing wall, water-fowl, water safety and wildlife sensory stations. Moment of Magic was onsite for photos and autographs with nature themed princess and fairy characters.
Van Buren Voyagers was proud to partner with multiple organizations to ensure that OAKS was available at no cost.
Return to Top of Page