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The Road to Home
by Christine Walker Most everyone knows Michael Lincoln of Camp Wyldewood. Either you have children that go to the camp every summer or you went there yourself. Brian VanWinkle was one such former camper and had kept in touch with Michael Lincoln over the years. Not long ago, Brian called Michael and asked him if he had considered opening up Camp Wyldewood for the hurricane victims. During the off-season, the camp ground is still booked most every weekend for retreats and conventions. Michael looked at the calendar in disbelief after Brian called. In the more than ten years he had been at Wyldewood, there had never been such a big gap in between the bookings. There were five weeks available starting immediately. After consulting the board, the camp was open for shelter. But there were still some obstacles to overcome, like the food and necessities the camp would need to provide. They had limited funds and no full-time staff on duty with summer camp over. Michael called Sid Langley (founder of Open Range ministry in Searcy) who in turn contacted Paula Petty to help organize food service at the camp. Soon over twenty churches volunteered and a schedule covering three meals a day for five weeks was put together. Local radio stations started announcing the camp's effort and soon donations of food and other basics including sheets and blankets started pouring in. The list of volunteers was overwhelming, and churches from all denominations pooled their efforts to help. You know what they say, build it and they will come. In no time at all there were guests from Louisiana everywhere. People from all over the community were helping with a multitude of needs. Suzanne Rand, a retired English teacher even coordinated an effort with ASU for free GED courses and testing. A special thank you goes out to Michael Lincoln and the staff at Camp Wyldewood and all of these volunteers. But the journey is far from over. As we welcome these new members from New Orleans to our community, we need to remember that the journey has just begun. And at Searcy Living, we trust that the staff at Camp Wyldewood and our readers will keep helping for a long time to come. We are asking you to keep the camp in your thoughts and prayers. And if you feel led to do so, donate to Camp Wyldewood to help them with the financial burden that they have taken on to help our new neighbors and friends. |
