By HDN staff
About 40 special youngsters from throughout Montana and Wyoming have been enjoying their week-long stay at Kiwanis Camp in Beaver Creek Park.
The kids are special because they all suffer from one form of a variety of neuromuscular diseases. The third annual Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Camp in the Bear Paw Mountains south of Havre allows the kids a chance to experience Montana's nature for the week.
The theme for this year's camp, which runs through Wednesday, is "Wheelin' Through the Years." Events, activities and workshops throughout the week focus on past decades, from the 1940s through the '60s.
The kids, who need 24-hour care, are buddied with a volunteer who fully gives of his or her time to make this week a special experience for the youth.
Another special tip of the cap has to go to Havre Firefighters Local #601 and to the Soroptimists of Havre.
The local firefighters helped bring the camp to Hill County. The result of this move is that Kiwanis Camp has undergone numerous changes and is now nearly 100 percent handicap accessible.
The most recent improvement to the camp included an additional handicap shower in the boys bathroom. The shower was made possible by a $1,000 donation from the Soroptimists of Havre.
Numerous people and businesses from the local community and around the state have pitched in to help provide activities for the young campers.
Triangle Telephone Company who has donated two phone line so the kids can connect on the Internet. Ten canoes for the camp were donated by Jim Meade of Great Falls. The canoes are used to take the kids for rides on the lake.
Jim Leeds and Cathy Wood, local ranchers from Havre, donated some horses for the kids to ride on.
We stand and salute all of the volunteers and individuals who help make this week-long adventure possible for the MDA kids.
