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"Cool at Camp" helps send kids to camp ready!

Posted at 5:04 PM, Jul 18, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-19 14:16:12-04
Nearly 30 million Americans get assistance from the Salvation Army every year. 
 
In a few weeks Western New York children are getting the chance to embark on an adventurous journey with the Salvation Army. It'll be one they'll never forget. 
 
"From the time I was four until I was 14 I went to  camp every summer," said Betty Flemming a project specialist. 
 
Flemming now works for the Salvation Army but said she'll never forget her camp experience. 
 
"I worked at camp every summer until the summer I got married," said Flemming. 
 
Then she had her own campers. Flemming's two daughters Amy and Jane went to camp until they went off to college. 
 
"I've been in charge of taking camp applications, processing the families for over 38 years now," said Delores Scott the director of emergency family assistance. 
 
Scott said the kids that go to camp at Long Point near the Finger Lakes are mostly from the inner city. 
 
"They go hiking, swimming, horseback riding," said Scott. "There are things they've never been exposed to because a lot of them live in a high crime area."
 
Many of the families also struggle financially. 
 
"Someone can actually pay as little as $10 for the actually camp fee and no more than $50," said Scott. 
 
After paying the camp fee many families struggle to provide their child with the items needed for camp.
 
"Underwear, jeans, shirts, sometimes a swim suit and even a towel," said Scott. 
 
That's why 7 Eyewitness News and the Salvation Army needs your help. Our "Cool at Camp" drive is Wednesday, July 20 at the Niagara Falls Blvd Thrift Store. 
 
We'll be there all day, starting at 4:30 in the morning to collect your donations.