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Paul Newman, eighty-three, one
of the most warmly admired and universally
loved figures in motion pictures and philanthropy,
died Friday after a long battle with cancer
at his farmhouse home near Westport, Connecticut.
It is said that Newman derived his deepest
satisfaction privately, from his quiet
work in philanthropy. Particularly close to his heart were the "Hole-in-the-Wall
Camps" for children with life-threatening health conditions. One day, over
twenty years ago, while sitting in a rowboat on a little woodland lake, then
full of snapping turtles, and surrounded by the Connecticut woods, he envisioned
an old Western town like the one in "Butch Cassidy" stretched along
the shore. But its facades would hide not only "roughing it" accommodations
for children who would come for two weeks, strictly for summer fun, but all the
modern equipment that health emergencies might require, and a top cadre of medical
personnel in western costume. Today there is an Association of such camps – eleven
member camps around the world, all on different themes, in Connecticut, New York,
Florida, California, North Carolina, Ireland, United Kingdom, Hungary, France,
Italy and Israel – with additional programs in Africa and Vietnam. Over
135,000 children have attended a Hole-in-the-Wall Camp free of charge since the
first one opened. In 2009, it is anticipated that 17,000 more sick children will
enjoy a camp experience that heals not only their spirits, but the spirits of
the hundreds of young volunteers who find inspiration in helping the children
to a happy time and sometimes, even recovery or remission.
When asked why he started the Hole-in-the-Wall Camps, Paul spoke of luck again:
"I wanted to acknowledge luck: the chance and benevolence of it in my life,
and the brutality of it in the lives of others, who might not be allowed the
good fortune of a lifetime to correct it."
For a more complete tribute to Newman's
work with camps, visit www.holeinthewallcamps.org. |
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