Jenny: Female 10 years old
Jenny has suffered horrific abuse and neglect. Jenny was locked in a closet and fed through a dog door. Jenny was also beaten and sexually abused, and as a result she wets the bed and suffers horrific nightmares. Jenny attended camp: “Camp is the safest, happiest place I have ever been and I want to come back and help other kids when I am old enough to be a counselor.
Rachael: Female 13 years old
Rachael comes from an abusive mother but adored her father. The mother was incarcerated and Rachael lived with her father who suffered from intense depression and decided to hang himself. Rachael was the one who discovered him, and says she will never get over it. Rachael is very intelligent and has a very special quietness about her. She has blossomed as she has attended Blooming Place for Kids camp for two years. This year she will be missed as she is now living with her Aunt and is very happy. Rachael’s words: “Being at camp taught me that I am a good, beautiful person and I now have the self-confidence to move on, I don’t want to be an abuser, and I have the power to stop it”!
Gregory: Male 10 years old
Gregory is a happy-go-lucky child and gets along well with kids. Gregory has never had the opportunity to experience a lot of fun in his life. He has been abused his entire life by both parents. He has been exposed to drugs and crime (both parents are incarcerated). Gregory was forced to endure waking up to drug paraphernalia in his bed, his mother prostituting in the room next to him and selling his clothes to support her drug habit. Gregory came to the foster care system with only the shirt on his back. Camp has been an experience of a lifetime for Gregory. “Camp has taken my mind off all the “bad stuff” and I know that stuff is not my fault and I do not have to be like my mother and father”.
