OASIS FOR ILL KIDS CAMP GIVES FUN TO AILING.Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer LAKE HUGHES - Up in the mountains between Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, and the Antelope Valley, in the town of Lake Hughes, there is an oasis for some very special people. Today, the gates will open at The Painted Turtle painted turtle Species (Chrysemys picta, family Emydidae) of brightly marked North American turtle found from southern Canada to northern Mexico. It has a smooth shell, 4–7 in. Camp for its second annual Open House from 1 to 4 p.m., welcoming children with special needs and their families for a peek behind the scenes of this camp, which serves those with all sorts of medical problems and is the only one of its kind on the West Coast. Located at the site of a former recreational vehicle park, the 178-acre campus was renovated by architect Michael Palladino to the tune of $28 million and dedicated in May 2004. The camp may look like any other summer camp - activities include horseback riding, swimming, arts and crafts arts and crafts, term for that general field of applied design in which hand fabrication is dominant. The term was coined in England in the late 19th cent. as a label for the then-current movement directed toward the revivifying of the decorative arts. , paddle boats and games in a barnlike gymnasium - because it is configured to mask the medical necessities that make it possible for every child to have fun experiences, regardless of his or her abilities. Campers scheduled to attend in 2006 include children who have arthritis, asthma, Crohn's disease Crohn's disease: see colitis. or colitis, diabetes, hemophilia, kidney disease Kidney Disease Definition Kidney disease is a general term for any damage that reduces the functioning of the kidney. Kidney disease is also called renal disease. and transplants, liver transplants, skeletal dysplasia dysplasia Abnormal formation of a bodily structure or tissue, usually bone, that may occur in any part of the body. Several types are well-defined diseases in humans. (dwarfism dwarfism, condition in which an animal or plant is less than normal in size and lacks the capacity for normal growth. Dwarfism is deliberately produced and perpetuated in certain species (e.g., in breeding miniature dogs and cultivating dwarf plants). ) and spina bifida. The Painted Turtle Camp in Lake Hughes is the sixth in a series of Hole In The Wall Camps started by actor and philanthropist Paul Newman. Funds raised through his Newman's Own brand of foods provided much of the start-up funding for the camps, which are now supported by a variety of foundations, individuals and corporations. The Los Angeles Lakers donated the gymnasium floor. Celebrities hold bingo nights or stage special readings to raise money for the camps. Doctors and nurses donate their skills to the camp, which runs spring and summer programs that are sometimes disease-specific. Sessions also include family weekend programs and medical seminars. For directions to the camp, visit their Web site at www.thepaintedturtle.org. Carol Rock, (661) 257-5252 carol.rock(at)dailynews.com |
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