Page 6 - September 2019

Page 6 District 23B Spirit — September 2019
LIONS CAMP FOR CHILDREN WITH DIABETES IS A HUGE SUCCESS

By PCC Alan Daninhirsch

At 3:30 PM on Friday, August 9, MD-23. requested $50 donation from each
2019 the first ever MD 23 Lions club in the State.
sponsored camp for children with With this partnership in place, a
Diabetes completed its one week number of decisions were made. Feedback from the campers and the
run and all agreed that it was a First, this project would be run as a parents has been overwhelming.
COMPLETE SUCCESS! “pilot” program for this first year. Most want to know about plans for
The number of camperships offered next year and how they can insure
For five days, 29 children ranging in would be limited to 30 and the camp their children can be included. All
age from 6 to 13 years, with Type 1 would run for one week. All children parents received surveys and most
Diabetes (T1D) enjoyed the full participating would be drawn from have already returned them.
facilities of the Meriden YMCA’s Dr. Demirci’s patient list (which
Camp Mountain Mist while under numbers over 1000) and would live Media coverage was outstanding
the constant medical supervision of within easy driving distance of the thanks to the Public Relations
Dr. Cem Demirici and his staff from camp so that parents would be Departments of the YMCA and
the Connecticut Childrens Medical responsible for all transportation to CCMC. See the links below for how
Center (CCMC) and the constant and from camp each day. The extensive the coverage was.
leadership of three very competent children would be divided into three
YMCA camp counselors and three groups by age, 6 to 8 years, 8 to 10 A meeting is planned for soon after
additional counselors-in-training. It years and 10 to 13 years. At all Labor Day that will include members
is an understatement to say that times, throughout each day, a of the Ad Hoc Committee, the
everything ran like a “Swiss watch.” medical team member and a medical staff, the camp staff, the
qualified YMCA camp counselor three District Diabetes Chairs and
About 15 months ago the Lions of would be with each group. hopefully the members of the MD
Multiple District 23 decided to try to Council to analyze the results of the
put together a summer day camp I cannot say enough about Dr. pilot program and come up with
experience for children with T1D. An Demirci and his medical staff. His suggestions for how we want to
ad-hoc committee of about a dozen organizational skills, his rapport with move forward. There will be much to
Lions from around the State was the kids, and his constant discuss.
formed and it began to explore determination to be everywhere all
possible locations. In all, 10 existing the time eliminated all concerns for Here are the links to some of the
camp sites were considered and 7 the welfare of the children. In the publicity and photographs for those
were actually visited. The YMCA of weeks before camp started he had who may not have seen them
New Britain/Berlin/Meriden was all the medical procedures in place before:
particularly excited about the for constant monitoring of the
possibility of hosting this project and children, established procedures for New Haven Record/Journal
offered space at their Mountain Mist check-in and check-out, organized article
Day Camp in Meriden. Based on the his staff, which consisted of 5 to 7
central location, the excellence of qualified professionals every day, http://www.myrecordjournal.com/Ne
the existing facilities, and the and met with the camp staff to set ws/Meriden/Meriden-News/Day-
enthusiasm of the YMCA staff, the up procedures, schedules and camp-in-Meriden-offers-wellness,-
committee decided this would be details for each day of the week. All fun,-safety-for-kids-with-
the location for this project. of this demonstrated to us how diabetes.html
critical it is to have the right medical
Meanwhile, discussions were under component to the team if we are to WNBC 30 coverage
way with Dr. Cem Demirci, Head of continue with this program.
Pediatric Endocrinology at the https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/on-
Connecticut Children’s Medical Since this was to be run as a pilot air/as-seen-on/Kids-With-Diabetes-
Center, on how we could provide program, it was decided that there Enjoy-Special-Summer-Camp-in-
necessary medical staffing for this would be no charge to the families Meriden_Hartford-
camp. Dr. Demirci announced that participating other than a nominal 531031442.html?akmobile=o&appVi
the establishment of such a summer $20.00 registration fee for the week. deoHub=y
camp for his patients has been a The Lions purchased the 30
lifelong dream of his and that if camperships from the YMCA at a Photos taken by YMCA public
CCMC could be a part of this cost of $210 each, which included relations
project, he would ensure that all all food, access to all facilities and
medical staff would be provided at participation of the camp https://flic.kr/s/aHsmFWCN15
no cost to anyone. Thus, a counselors. Thus, the entire project
partnership was formed between cost the Multiple District less than
the YMCA, CCMC and the Lions of $6,500 which was paid for by a