From the Desk of Page Aiken: It’s Memorial
Day
weekend, which marks the beginning of our summer season here in the Golden Isles. Last summer, our
community absolutely shined as we hosted a week-long Blue Skies pediatric cancer family camp for the first time on St. Simons. The hearts, hands, and generosity of our people made such an impact on the guests and volunteers of this ministry, they could not WAIT to come back again this summer. I am pleased to announce that our friends from Blue Skies will be here again from July 10th – 15th – and I am sure that our locals will again welcome and love on these special families, showing off the BEST our community has to offer.
Blue Skies
is a non-profit organization that provides week-long beach retreats for families with a child stricken by pediatric cancer. As marriages, finances,
and siblings all suffer, this wonderful ministry, directed by former oncology nurse Melinda Mayton, brings 10 weary families to the beach each week of the summer. Volunteers raise funds for the guests’ expenses, then lovingly serve and care for them, allowing the families a time of restoration - physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Children are loved on and played with like “normal”, adults are ministered to and connect with others on kindred journeys, and the families are
treated to fun events and unique experiences that lift them above the clouds of childhood cancer. For the last decade, Blue Skies camps have been held on the gulf coast of Florida, where our local friends Chris and Cassie Busby were guests in 2016 and 2017 when their 3-year-old son Chase was battling leukemia. The Busby’s were so positively impacted by their experience at Blue Skies, they began recruiting others to go back and volunteer together, including me and my family in 2018. After a few years of gaining support here locally and finding a growing number of volunteers traveling to Florida to participate, we felt led to suggest to the director to consider hosting at least one week of the summer’s camp here on St. Simons.
The inaugural week of SSI camp took place last summer, in July 2021 – and to say that our hopes and expectations were exceeded is an understatement. As we shared the blessings of our island with our appreciative guests, we were personally blown away by the generosity, love, and support of our community. In addition to our fundraising goals being fully met, many of our local restaurants like Sandy Bottom Bagels, Dolce Dough, Chick Fil A, CJ’s, and V-Pizza, donated or discounted meals for our group. We were able to offer excursions like boat rides, horseback riding, and kayaking to families that have never been able to do such things. The staff at Sea Palms Resort bent over backward for us, ensuring a perfect headquarters for 120 guests and volunteers. Bucket-list wishes were granted by our local harbor pilots and volunteers, Island Cinemas made room for us on a rainy day, and Neptune Park Pool and the Casino were perfect venues for our evening family events. It was truly a joy to share so many of our favorite amenities with these dear guest families.
One of the most special events of the week was our finale “parade” from Sea Palms to the beautiful Village Creek Landing for our benediction dinner. As my wife and I joined in the procession, our hearts were exploding with gratitude as we passed by dozens of our friends and neighbors lining the streets, showing support of Blue Skies with waves, cheers and homemade signs. Glynn County fire and police vehicles escorted the parade of decorated golf carts, and officers stayed at Village Creek to award each patient and sibling a courageous hero’s medal. Crabdaddy’s surprised us with a complete donation of the evening’s delicious meal, and we finished the week with fireworks at sunset. It could not have been a more glorious display of the warm hearts of our locals and God’s hands and feet at work. Later that night, one of our local officers made the following reflective comments on the Glynn County fire department’s Facebook page: “The words courage and strength have become overused adjectives in our world. Yet the character, strength and courage which these children and their siblings display is a level which very few of us will ever achieve. For us to be a brief part of their camp is a blessing beyond words…Thank you kids, thank you families; God bless each and every one of you. We pray that your bodies are made whole and hope we can borrow a little of your strength to make us a better person.”
As we welcome our special guests again this summer, we fully expect to experience God’s love and caring yet again through our friends and neighbors in service to these struggling families. As a volunteer team, we covet your prayers, first and foremost, for the kids of Blue Skies and for our week of camp on St. Simons. We also appreciate financial donations that fund the guests’ lodging and experiences, and any donations/discounts of local services during that week. We have several events that could use extra hands, so please reach out if you can give a few hours to volunteer. Many hands make light work, and I am certain there is no other community in the world with such warmth and kindness as ours. Thank you, Golden Isles, for all your support in bringing Blue Skies to our hometown. To learn more about Blue Skies on SSI, and to make a financial donation, visit: https://www.blueskiesministries.org/on-st-simons
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