Posted on 08/04/2006 10:06:53 AM PDT by WestTexasWend
-German town donates money to run summer camp for child Katrina victims in Austin.-
Almost a year ago, Michelle Williams was standing on the roof of her uncle's house in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina filled it with water. A fireman rescued her and her family in a boat, she said.
This week, the 9-year-old was sitting at a picnic table in Zilker Park, grinning about all the friends she has made at a summer camp for young Katrina evacuees.
"It's very fun to play with people who understand you and what you're going through," she said. "You get to know that you're not alone and you can still make friends."
She was one of 38 children, ages 6 to 12, who participated in Camp Koblenz, a free, two-week summer camp in Austin that included swimming lessons, canoeing, hiking, basketball, a citywide scavenger hunt and a visit to the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. The camp ends today.
Hosted by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, the camp was paid for through a $20,000 donation from the city of Koblenz, Germany, one of Austin's sister cities.
Koblenz, which has a population of about 108,000, is in western Germany, about 85 miles north of Frankfurt. It became a sister city with Austin in 1992, said Renata Anderson, the chairwoman of the Austin Koblenz sister city program.
After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the mayor of Koblenz gathered $5,000 to help Austin take care of Katrina evacuees, Anderson said. The rest of the $20,000 donation came from a delegation of Koblenz citizens who had previously visited Austin, she said.
Keriyon Algere, 13, said she was learning new things at the camp, like how to paddle a canoe. She said she still remembers being stranded on a bridge for several hours with her family after New Orleans flooded.
"I have asked everybody at the camp about what their experiences were during the hurricane," Algere said.
Another camper, 12-year-old Gyi Armstrong, said the camp was giving her a chance to meet other Katrina evacuees; she said she hadn't met any at her new Austin middle school. She said doesn't want to go back to New Orleans, where her family's home was destroyed.
The campers are making a banner to send to Koblenz. They're also sending a box of arts and crafts they have made and a videotape of the camp, said Claudia Rocha, the camp's program coordinator.
"It's been very rewarding just to see the smiles on the kids' faces," she said.
Lordy, you're right. Wasn't America hit by other hurricanes as well? But only "Katrina" had victims, apparently.
Still, it is a cool idea.
A lot of them seemed to be victims from birth and will be victims when the Great Referee reaches the ten-count.
What about the "evacuees" in neighboring states that were "victims" of Katrina, or don't they count???
How the hell do you say that?
My family and I lived through 4 hurricanes in less than two months a few years ago, three of them crossing right over our house. I have absolutely NO sympathy for the people who chose to stay behind, loot, etc. Life's rough, wear a helmet, and quit asking for the tax payers to foot the bill for your hotel expenses ONE YEAR AFTER THE STORM.
Don't they have special summer camps for my daughter--she was 16 months old when she became a victim of Charlie/Jeanne/Francis.
I suspect in forty years, we'll STILL be hearing about the plight of Katrina victims.
BEATS me.
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