![]() ![]() ![]() "It sent the message that you’re not alone in this world," he says. But Marciano says it’s a lot more than that. After that, Conroy hopes their young summer campers can move in, though the camp is making contingency plans in case they have to delay opening.Īll this may seem like a lot of trouble to let people shoot hoops or walk a trail. "What we hear a lot from them is that this is the first time in as long as they can remember having fun not being under the influence of alcohol or drugs," she says.ĭonors have provided about $40,000 to keep the Rescue Mission program at Camp Thunderbird going through the end of May. And he chuckles over a recent activity: "They got like a nice big hill there, they use that as a slide, a water slide."Ĭonroy says one of the joys for staff is teaching adults how to just relax and play. Griggs says he'd like to try kayaking, though he might need to learn to swim first. You know, just kind of take advantage of the scenery." "It’s a good time to reflect on yourself. "I always knew about Camp Thunderbird but this is my first time actually being out there," he said. Rescue Mission resident Christopher Griggs says he just loves the chance to be outdoors, look at the lake and walk the trails. Visitors can try grooming horses, or handle snakes and other creatures in the wildlife room. They can choose from activities like tennis, archery, baseball, basketball, putt-putt, fishing and cornhole. The residents are divided into groups of 50-70 and come once a week, staying from about 8:30 a.m. "Is there anyone who still wants to go on the boat?" she asked, sounding skeptical. On one of the cold days, Conroy told the group blankets would be available for anyone who wanted to do a boat ride. ![]() Some days are great for water events, some a bit chilly. Last week's announcement of "fried chicken patty Wednesday" brought whoops and cheers.ĬAMP THUNDERBIRD Guests from the Rescue Mission try kayaking on a warm March day. It’s always a high point when the lunch van arrives. The plan calls for all activities to be outside. "That way we make sure we’re not bringing anything in from the outside, either." "All of the staff who are running the program live on site and we’re all quarantined here together," she says. "They cook together, they eat together, they play together."Ĭonroy is among half a dozen YMCA employees who wear masks and gloves to avoid infecting their visitors. "Inside the Rescue (Mission) they all live together as a family unit," she says. But Conroy says they’re coming from a setting where that’s the norm. They were all scrambling to decide what’s safe and what’s forbidden.Īt first glance, seeing dozens of unmasked visitors mingling at Camp Thunderbird looks anything but safe. Conroy says it required approval from officials in two counties and two states – Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, where the mission is located, and York County, South Carolina, home to the camp. Within a week they had a plan to bring residents to Camp Thunderbird for day trips.ĬAMP THUNDERBIRD Camp Thunderbird had to get special approval to allow Rescue Mission visitors to fish. So Marciano got in touch with Todd Tibbits, CEO of YMCA of Greater Charlotte. I’ll just leave the mission and I’ll figure it out, ' " he says.įor a lot of them, he says, that would mean returning to the streets, at a time when shelters and soup kitchens are closed. "So if an addict in early recovery is being asked to in effect quarantine themselves voluntarily, after awhile their best thinking says 'I know what’s best for me. But Rescue Mission President Tony Marciano says people dealing with addiction tend to overreact to stress. The residents were already more-or-less separated from the rest of the world – the men at an uptown campus, the women near the airport. Meanwhile, the Charlotte Rescue Mission had more than 200 people going through its 4 1/2-month residential rehabilitation program. That left a lot of outdoor space sitting empty - 118 acres, with about two miles of Lake Wylie shoreline. The rest of the story is painfully familiar: Field trips canceled. WFAE With students banned from visiting Camp Thunderbird, it could have sat empty this spring. ![]()
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