The Scott Hazelcorn Memorial Children's Foundation was created in loving
memory of Scott Hazelcorn, a twenty-nine-year-old bond broker who was
killed in the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center. Scott and
his fiancée Amy Callahan had a dream to open a summer camp for
children in need. After Scott's death, Amy, along with Scott's parents
Janice and Chuck Hazelcorn and his brother Eric, established the Scott
Hazelcorn Memorial Children's Foundation - a nonprofit organization.
This past year, the foundation ran several activities developed to help
the most innocent victims of September 11 - the children who lost a parent
or loved one. The major mission of the foundation was to run a free,
week-long, overnight camp experience for these children - Camp Haze.
Through the generosity of the Landman family of Camp Kennybrook in Monticello,
New York, that dream became a reality. Scott had been a camper at Kennybrook
for five summers as a child, and when the Landman's heard about the foundation's
efforts through an old camp friend of Scott's, they offered their camp
from August 19 to 25, 2002, and for many summers to come.
The first Camp Haze experience was a huge success. The camp served forty-eight
children who lost a parent or loved one. Half the staff was made up of
Kennybrook counselors with years of camp experience who volunteered their
final week of summer to the children of Camp Haze. The other half of
the Camp Haze staff was made up of volunteers who lost a loved one on
September 11, as well as trained therapists to meet any emotional needs
of the children. All Camp Haze staff went through sensitivity training
on how to handle children who have suffered a traumatic loss.
The week was filled with hugs, fun, laughter, and great events that
let the children have an opportunity to smile again after such a traumatic
year. The children and staff had an instant connection, and it was evident
that these children needed to be away from their home environments and
grieving parent and to feel safe to express their emotions. One of the
themes of the camp week was that everyone was allowed to feel whatever
they needed to feel at any time - free Haze hugs were always available.
There were many obstacles to overcome when trying to put together a
camp for children who had been through such trauma. The two major ones
were finding the children and gaining the trust of the parents. Amy Callahan,
executive director of the foundation, is a certified special education
teacher and social worker and has worked with children for twelve years. "I
think our success came because our foundation is run by a September 11
family. It is impossible to know what this year has been like if you
did not lose someone that day. Most of the families that let their children
attend our program met and developed relationships with a member of our
foundation."
The Scott Hazelcorn Memorial Children's Foundation is planning to host
monthly activities throughout the year to keep the bond between the children
going on a continuous basis. The Camp Haze program will host its second
year at Camp Kennybrook from August 18 to 24, 2003, and hopes to expand
the program to include one hundred children. For more information on
this foundation, please visit the Web site at www.camphaze.org.
Originally published in the 2003 January/February
issue of Camping Magazine.
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