Kiddie Keep Well Camp counselor Sharom Williams explains the reward system used in the camp’s dining room to provide incentives for the campers to clean up after their meals. TERRY BOUDREAU Kiddie Keep Well Camp, located within Edison’s Roosevelt Park, has been operating as a free sleep-away summer camp for deserving Middlesex County children for 81 years.
Dedicated to providing summertime enjoyment to the less privileged children of Middlesex County, Kiddie Keep Well, initially built as a Fresh Air Fund camp in 1924, is one of the oldest in the nation.
In an attempt to bring the facility into the new millennium, camp administrators are counting on the generosity of others to build a new health center to replace the current building, whose structure cannot withstand renovations.
“A good part of our mission at Kiddie Keep Well is to make sure the children get health screening in addition to providing a great camping experience,” Kiddie Keep Well board Treasurer Tom Tighe said.
A drawing provides a snapshot of the proposed health center at Kiddie Keep Well. “We’re hoping the community will help raise about $250,000 to complete the project, and [we will] use anything left over to upgrade some of the cabins as well. Every penny counts.”
The proposed new building would provide a better flow, with a larger waiting area on a porch to allow the nurses to see campers in a more efficient and private manner; separate boys and girls sleeping quarters, with doors for children who have to stay overnight; and an isolation area.
It will also have upgraded sleeping quarters for the nurses, and a file storage room in the basement.
Tighe said CMR Architects and CME Associates have designed the proposed new building, and retired journeymen from Middlesex County Construction and Building Trades have offered their expertise and labor to implement the construction process.
Fundraising will kick off with a gala event early next year, and camp officials said they hope to have the building up and running by spring 2015.
“We’re really excited about this,” Tighe said.
Camp Director Cathy Robertson said there is a “constant flow” of children at the health center, adding that JFK Dental School and the Jewish Renaissance Center provide free dental services.
A nurse must be on duty at the camp 24 hours a day. Nurse Betsy Tirado of Old Bridge is one of three nurses who work at the camp.
“We have everything to check them out,” Tirado said. “We report to parents and take them to the doctor if necessary. We will administer antibiotics if prescribed.”
The camp, which serves more than 600 campers ages 7-15 throughout the year, can accommodate 150 children at a time, and offers 11-day sessions during the summer.
Robertson said admission to the camp is through referrals by the Division of Youth and Family Services, Catholic Charities, school nurses, social workers and other social service agencies in the area, “Families do not pay a penny,” Robertson said. “It is completely free on an asneeded basis.”
The camp is also open on seven weekends over the school year, during which a transgenerational program is offered, bringing seniors and children together.
In addition to providing a stress-free environment and summer activities that include swimming, arts and crafts, sports, nature, campfires, dance and drama, the camp has a strong emphasis on teaching proper nutrition and providing healthy food in its dining room.
It also holds fire-safety lessons, as well as sessions on anger management, self-esteem and other character-building skills, led by a social worker employed by the camp.
Social worker Kristen Cordero of Edison said she helps resolve any issues that may arise by talking to the campers and counselors.
“This is my first year,” Cordero said. “I chose this camp because I wanted to work with kids who deserve the opportunity.”
Al-Meisha “Mimi” Lee of Newark started as a counselor five years ago and is now assistant to the camp director.
“I love this place, honestly,” Lee said. “To be a part of making their summer great makes me ecstatic. They don’t get a lot of the opportunities that other kids get.”
She stressed the importance of the proposed new health center.
“We provide a lot of free services at this camp,” Lee said. “It would be very beneficial to have a new health center because we could facilitate more children.”