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WILKES-BARRE — The trip to Camp Ladore from the Salvation Army on South Pennsylvania Avenue is probably no more than 50 miles, a distance Ted Tressler said is a world away from the one where the kids attending the summer camp call home.
That’s one of the reasons Tressler, a lieutenant and commanding officer of the Wilkes-Barre Corps, wants to send 34 boys and girls to the sylvan refuge near Waymart in Wayne County. They can swim, hike, fish and just get away to a safe, loving environment that many of them don’t have in the city.
“These kids come back from camp changed,” Tressler said Friday, making a pitch for donations to sponsor the grade schoolers’ and teenagers’ camp experience for a week.
It costs $375 per child to attend the camp owned and operated by the Salvation Army. It’s accredited by the American Camping Association and one of the Salvation Army’s 48 residential camps that welcome thousands of children each year.
The Wilkes-Barre Corps has access to Camp Ladore and has been sending kids there for years. Tressler would like to continue the tradition with the help and generosity of the public. He encouraged people to call the office, mail a check or send a donation online.
Money wasn’t the only thing he asked for. People can refer a child for the camp. The kids can attend any of three weeks from June through the beginning of August.
“There are plenty of vacancies,” Tressler said. Referrals must be made in person at the office at 17 S. Pennsylvania Ave. due to the paperwork, including medical information, that says a child can attend.
It’s not unusual for the kids to be apprehensive, nervous and crying when the van leaves for the camp, Tressler said.
Tears are shed when it’s over too. “They cry leaving camp. They don’t want to leave. It’s a fabulous program,” he said.
Camp staff comes from around the world and meeting them adds to the experience for the kids.
They’ll have the same opportunity as previous campers to enjoy nutritious meals and the outdoors and learn new life skills such as anger management and conflict resolution, Tressler said.
The community has responded in the past and Tressler was optimistic it would again this year to cover the substantial expense.
“These kids really do need this experience,” he said, emphasizing the importance and benefits of the camp.