Letter: Please don't ruin camp

A letter received from a concerned parent:
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To whom it may concern,
My name is Lauren Connolly and my ten year old son, signed up for Camp Fire USA at its Salem, Ma site for the first time this summer. I found out about the camp a few years ago from a customer at the store I work at and she had nothing but great things to say about it. I decided to give it a try, because this past year my son began attending St. Pius V School in Lynn, and many of his classmates have been attending the camp for years. In addition to the customer at work, I received more positive feedback from the parents of his new friends/classmates, encouraging me to enroll my son.

He is in his eighth week of camp at the Salem site and has had an absolutely positive experience. It was in his first week of camp that he talked about how next summer he was going to enjoy more of this and more of that, from the drama to the sports. I mentioned that many of the CIT's were once campers there. He thought that was awesome that maybe in a few years he could work there.

He then remembered how the camp was being threatened to close its operations because of the development of a Lowe's and the expansion of the existing Walmart. He remembered writing a letter with his classmates at the end of the school year asking Lowe's to not take the camp away.

I am writing to you to help advocate in your efforts to hold onto the land for the camp. We do not need another hardware store. We do not need a Super Sized Walmart. What our communities need is a camp like this that has been in existence for years. That enriches the lives of our children. That is in a safe environment and is run by extremely caring individuals who want to teach our children that being outside with nature, connecting with eachother, and keeping with an old time experience that only summer camp can provide.

The site is perfect! It is set off from the busy streets. The children are able to swim, play, run, breath fresh air, and have fun in the simplest ways. Down below they re-enter the hustle and bustle of traffic and their busy congested lives. Camps like this provide a wonderful environment that reminds them that technology is great, expansion and growth are important, but finding and maintaining a balance between simplicity and complexity is vital! We can not allow these programs throughout America to become extinct. If we do allow this, then we are continuing to tip the balance.

If there is anything more that I can do to help find a solution or compromise, where both the camp and Lowe's/Walmart can benefit, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Lauren C. Connolly (very concerned, caring and involved parent)

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Photo of Camp Fire table  ~by yours truly at springpondwoods.com

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Peace.