Published: August 07, 2009 12:28 pm      

Area Lions Club celebrates camp's 60th anniversary

The Gainesville Lions Club is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Texas Lions Camp this season along with all Lions Clubs in Texas. The camp is one of the Lions’ main projects to serve in the community and addresses the needs of local communities.

Texas Lions Camp is geared to serve youth ages 7-16 who have physical disabilities and diabetes.

The camp holds five sessions of summer camp each season and each session is five days.

The camp is located in Kerrville and kids and teens from throughout Texas can participate.

The Texas Lions Camp held its first session in 1953 and since that time has provided over 60,000 children access to and enjoyment of the great outdoors.

Disabilities such as asthma, arthritis, epilepsy, lupus, muscular dystrophy, polio, scoliosis and stroke qualify campers for the event.

This year the Gainesville Lions Club sponsored Gustavo Mandujano to attend the summer camp.

Mandujano is 10-years-old and is going into the 4th grade at Lee Intermediate School this fall. Mandujano has been diagnosed with scoliosis.

Mandujano said his favorite thing to do at camp was swimming in the big pool they have there. He said he liked to dive for rings in the pool.

Mandujano said, “I’d like to go back to camp next year.”

Mandujano accompanied Gainesville Lions Club President Dean Mendenhall to the July Lions’ meeting so he could have the opportunity to meet the members of the local club.

Mendenhall said that he met Mandujano through Callisburg ISD Bilingual and ESL Coordinator Mary Fuller. Mandujano attended Callisburg Elementary School before his family moved to Gainesville.

Mendenhall told Fuller he would like to have the local Lions Club sponsor Mandujano.

Mendenhall said Texas Lions Camp got started when Jack Weish, one of the original founders, saw a need for the children with disabilities and it just went from there.

“There is no cost for the child,” said Mendenhall. “They just need to be able to go and they just need to have fun. The counselors come from all over the world.”

Texas Lions Camp also has a Day Camp for kids ages 6-15 with physical disabilities, where parents can bring children to the camp each morning and pick them up each afternoon.

During the summer there are also two camping sessions for diabetic youth ages 8-15, who are insulin dependent.

For the diabetic sessions, a medical team joins the camp staff to help campers learn to manage their diabetes alongside participating in recreational activities and the usual camp experiences.

Texas Lions Camp Executive Director Stephen Mabry said, “Diabetic children face a challenge to take proper care of themselves and take an active role in controlling their disease. Our goal is to assist them with their needs.”

Texas Lions Camp is funded by Lions and private donations.

Mendenhall said the Ladybird Johnson Golf Tournament is a huge fundraiser for the camp. He said the tournament took place in Fredericksburg about two weeks ago and raised $60,000.

Additional information about the camp can be provided by members of the Lions Club or you can call Paul Burnett at (214) 755-3524. Information and application forms are available at their website at www.lionscamp.com.