Dragonfly Away Announced for Summer 2005

Dragonfly Forest is working with The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps to send a group of children from the Philadelphia area along with local community volunteers to an established Hole in the Wall Camp in the summer of 2005. Dragonfly Forest's first overnight camping experience, named Dragonfly Away, provides a program that meets the highest standards and allows seriously ill children from Philadelphia the opportunity to attend camp free of charge.
 
Both the Double "H" Ranch (www.doublehranch.org) and The Hole in the Wall Gang (www.holeinthewallgang.org) camps in upstate New York and Connecticut, respectively, have agreed to accept campers from Dragonfly Forest next summer as part of the Dragonfly Away program. Dragonfly Away is comprised of three-parts: 1) a pre-camp event held locally with activities where the children have an opportunity to meet each other and their parents can ask questions about the upcoming camp experience, 2) the actual camp program session when the children are transported by bus to the respective Hole in the Wall Camp, and 3) a reunion where the children and their parents meet up with one another again and exchange pictures, stories and give feedback about their camp experience.

Founding Chairman Laura Jansen is very enthusiastic commenting that, “We will use Dragonfly Away to build a transfer of knowledge and to increase public awareness and support in order to raise the funds we need to reach our goal of building our own camp, Dragonfly Forest, in this area.” Working with area hospitals including The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Temple University Children’s Medical Center, efforts in the coming months will focus on identifying prospective campers to participate in Dragonfly Away.