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Gone...But Not Forgotten
Gone... But Not Forgotten
4-H Memorial Camp serves as a living tribute to military heroes
By Judy Mae Bingman
With the world at war, 1944 saw the beginnings of a central- Illinois memorial to servicemen and servicewomen who lost their lives in World War II—a memorial lived out each year by hundreds of youth at summer 4-H camp. Thanks to Robert Allerton and countless additional donors, World War II heroes are not forgotten there.
Each year, freedom is celebrated at 4-H Memorial Camp near Monticello during four weeks of 4-H youth camp, as well as during a camp week exclusively for youth of military families who have experienced the death or serious injury of a family member. Camp Corral, sponsored by Golden Corral restaurants, serves about 200 youth annually.
Last July marked the 70th anniversary of the dedication of 4-H Memorial Camp. An advisory committee first proposed the camp in September 1944 as a memorial to the 4-H members and alumni who lost their lives in World War II. In July 1946, Allerton donated 250 acres from his Monticello estate to house the camp, and it was dedicated two years later.
4-H Memorial Camp is used 190 days a year, with more than 8,500 guests staying annually. The 34 cabins can house 256 campers, with every bunk filled for the four weeks of 4-H youth summer camp. About 60 counselors are hired each year to mentor the summer campers, ages 8 to 15, and nearly half of the counselors return the following year.
“There’s something about fresh air, campfires, starry nights, and lake water that brings out the best in humanity,” says camp director Curt Sinclair, who celebrates 25 years on staff at Memorial. The camp is popular with University of Illinois student groups, who use the camp’s high ropes and challenge courses to build teamwork. These groups return year after year for unique leadership training offered by Sinclair and Andy Davis, University of Illinois Extension 4-H camping educator. “We know we are making a difference because they keep returning,” Davis says.
The week devoted to children of military families holds special meaning. Camp Corral allows children to bond with peers across the state who understand the unique challenges facing military families. Daphne Tapia, a former Camp Corral camper, now serves as a counselor for the five weeks of youth camp. Her dad, a Purple Heart recipient, was injured saving 13 people after a car bomb exploded in Afghanistan.
“I feel at home at Camp Corral,” Tapia says. “People here have gone through the same thing I have, and now I want to give the campers what other counselors gave me—a place to feel safe.”
Many campers feel homesick, but those at Camp Corral experience homesickness coupled with many other emotions, and counselors such as Tapia take time during the week to listen and share their own experiences growing up in a military family.
“Most kids don’t understand that when military families move, we have to be ‘the new kid’ all over again,” Tapia says. “And we have to see our parents return from combat in a different frame of mind—PTSD is real.”
Another former Camp Corral camper, Josh Bushart, just served his first year as a 4-H Memorial Camp counselor. Bushart’s father was killed while serving in Iraq in 2003. “There is power in numbers,” Bushart says, referring to the support of campers whose families share a military background, “and talking is important.”
Bushart says he tells campers, “I’ve been where you are, and I’m here to help you work it out.”
According to Sinclair, camping is powerful for inspiring youth to appreciate our natural resources, build new friendships, and participate in physical activities, but he also believes that in his 25 years of camp work, his biggest impact has been on the 700 young adult counselors he’s worked with during a transitional phase of their lives.
“It’s in these moments during the counselors’ time living at camp that you can impact what comes next for them,” Sinclair says. “These young adults reassure me there is hope for the future.”
Sinclair and Davis are an important factor in the transformational growth of character that counselors experience. Former counselor Kendra Greenlee of Urbana, now 20 years old, is moving to Chicago to work at Lurie Children’s Hospital as a child life specialist. She stopped at camp to thank Sinclair, saying that the path to her career began right on the grounds of 4-H Memorial Camp.
Greenlee will help children dealing with trauma associated with hospitalization and illness. “Everything here at 4-H camp is why I’m doing what I’m doing for a career.”
For Bushart, the relationship with Sinclair runs deep. “I didn’t grow up with a dad,” he says, “so Curt is like a dad for me when I’m here.”
That lump that arises in Sinclair’s throat at hearing Bushart’s declaration is evidence the feeling is mutual.
Fall 2018 | ACES@Illinois | 23
