Carbondale Wal-Mart awards grant for camp

The Carbondale Wal-Mart Supercenter awarded a $1,000 matching grant to SIUC's Touch of Nature Environmental Center.

Generous gift to help ‘little giants’ — David L. Gename, (left) associate director of SIUC's Touch of Nature Environmental Center, and Camp Little Giant Program Director Vicki R. Lang, accept a matching grant from Carbondale Wal-Mart Supercenter managers Tuesday, Feb. 13. The funds provided by Wal-Mart will help underwrite camper fees for individuals attending Camp Little Giant, a residential summer camping program for youngsters and adults with disabilities. Presenting the check to Gename and Lang are Carbondale Supercenter co-managers Daniel Powell of Carterville and Jeffrey Johnson of Cape Girardeau, Mo.

The funds, presented Tuesday, Feb. 13, will underwrite camper fees for individuals who attend Camp Little Giant, a residential summer camping program for youngsters and adults with disabilities. The camp takes place at Touch of Nature, a wooded area on the shores of Little Grassy Lake, about seven miles south of Carbondale.

"It is gratifying to see a giant like Wal-Mart give back to the community by supporting the 'little giants' that wish to participate in the Camp Little Giant program," said Touch of Nature associate director David L. Gename.

More than 225 campers between the ages of eight and 80 participated in programs last summer.

The funds will assist individuals who otherwise would not have the financial resources to participate in the summer camping program, said Camp Little Giant Program Director Vicki R. Lang.

The matching grant comes from funds that Wal-Mart gives its stores to spend in the local community, Carbondale Wal-Mart Supercenter store manager Tiffany Lucas said.

"We are extremely happy we were able to give them the grant and hope to be able to partner with them in the future on such a great program," she said.

Gename thanked Friends of Touch of Nature for their fund-raising efforts, and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., for matching those efforts. He also credits Lucas for "all she did in securing the grant for us."

SIUC operates the center and prides itself on its expertise and experience in providing therapeutic recreation to special populations. The residential camp is co-educational. The camp has been providing continuous summer camping programs since 1951, and was the nation's first university-affiliated residential camping program for people with disabilities.

- Pete Rosenbery