For the past 50 years, the New York District Kiwanis Foundation has operated Kamp Kiwanis in upstate Taberg. Every year roughly 800 children and developmentally disabled adults gather for a week of summer fun.
The schedule is divided into eight sessions of nearly 100 attendees each, the first two weeks are for adults and the next six are for the children. The 102-acre property serves to give children, many who may come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, have special needs or have parents serving in the military, the opportunity for an enjoyable sleep-away camp experience.
Tuition is $465 plus a $150 transportation cost, but according to Anthony Merendino, a member of the Peninsula Kiwanis and a board member of the New York Foundation, 98 percent of children are sponsored with “camper-ships” and don’t pay a fee.
“It’s pretty amazing that this has been able to go on for 50 years,” Merendino said. “It becomes sort of addicting seeing the results of what you’re doing for the children”
In Lynbrook, the newly-established Kiwanis Club is looking to raise funds to send a camper from the Southwest Division, which includes East Rockaway and other areas. “We’re very supportive of Kamp Kiwanis,” President Denise Rogers said.
—Melissa Koenig contributed to this story.