Boxes shipped out to burn victims after local camp canceled due to COVID-19
The young burn victims, who were to attend Champ Camp at Wonder Valley in Sanger, received boxes full of arts and crafts projects, snacks, squirt guns and water balloons.
SANGER, Calif. (KFSN) -- A local camp for burn survivors around the state will continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Christian Pine is among the 134 young people to receive "Camp in a Box."
They won't be able to attend Champ Camp at Wonder Valley in Sanger this year so the box came at a perfect time for those who thought camp was canceled completely.
"I was pretty worried... I was talking to some of my friends and we were talking about planning our own trip," says Pine.
For 35 years, young burn victims have come to Wonder Valley in Sanger to enjoy each other's company. They play games and learn about archery.
Many summer camps have been canceled but the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation didn't want kids to miss out so the boxes were shipped out.
"They have a bag that has each day organized so there's arts and crafts projects, there's wood-working projects. There are snacks as part of each day. For example, Thursday would be the day we all go off camp to Wild Water Adventures," says Chris Badger, with the foundation.
Instead of splashing in the water, campers received squirt guns and water balloons to cool off at home.
But just getting the chance to see and hear their friends online is welcome.
No one feels different at Champ Camp. They all get a chance to dance. It was important to somehow keep the tradition going.
"We really recognized how important of an aspect this is to our campers' lives and how it helps them heal emotionally and physically so for us it's very important we continue that," says Badger.
They'll even enjoy a campfire during the virtual meetings.
