January 19, 2012

Visiting Habitat for Humanity

11:30am

Just got out of midterms.  Big English test today – hope I get an A!   Now off to our second day of site visits for the 2012 Golf Classic.

First, we took care of some very important business – Starbucks! Jen is from Seattle so Starbucks is a medical necessity but I do love my café mocha with extra whip!  Then back on the road to Patterson to visit Habitat for Humanity.­

Everyday you wake up in a nice warm bed, in a nice house.  A bed you never want to get out of to go to school.  What would happen if you didn’t have a “nice” house?  I am not talking about a big screen TV and your own bedroom.  I am talking about a house that has working bathrooms, walls without holes and windows that aren’t broken.

Habitat for Humanity (HFH) builds houses for people that need them. First, a family applies for a house and goes through a screening process to see if they are eligible.   Then, if they qualify, HFH explains to them that they need to be a part of the project. So the new homeowners must complete 400 hours of sweat equity. That means that they must help build their house or do some sort of community service for 400 hours.  And the whole family can help get the house.  The kids even get credit for hours if they get good grades. So doing homework helps them buy a house!  HFH acts as the bank and loans the family the money needed to pay for the house – which is only a fraction of what the house would really cost.  Then the family gets to have a safe, comfortable house to live in. A home is one of the most important needs for any family.  HFH helps a family build a home and we all know that home is where the heart is.

Tags: Jennifer Vertetis, Kyra, Kyra Citron, Suzanne Citron
January 18, 2012

First Site Visit: Camp Nejeda

4:30pm

We just finished our visit with Camp Nejeda, which is located in Stillwater, New Jersey.  Have you ever thought about what happens when a child who has diabetes wants to go to camp? A lot of these children can’t because the camp or their parents won’t let them because of the safety and responsibility involved.  Camp Nejeda is a camp for children who have type 1 diabetes.   Camp Nejeda is a place where these children can have a fun, safe, and education experience.

It is fun because it is a camp, just like any other.  They have activities such as swimming, hiking, and much more. Being safe is a priority there. They have nurses on staff full time that takes care of their insulin and any bumps and bruises from the day.  Education doesn’t seem like “fun” in camp, but this education is essential for these children to live.  Camp Nejeda helps these children learn how to deal with and understand their disease. It also gives them a chance to run, play and make friends with other kids who understand them.  As the Director of Camp Nejeda said,  “Camp is the place to try something new.” I couldn’t agree more.

The camp looked like a lot of fun.  It also really hit me how important a camp like this is to all the children in New Jersey who have diabetes.  I am really glad I got to learn about them.  Tomorrow we visit Habitat for Humanity and Comfort Zone, which are really interesting organizations.  With all these great choices, the decision for our 2012 beneficiary will not be easy!

 

Tags: Jennifer Vertetis, Kyra, Kyra Citron, Suzanne Citron