The 10-week day camp is open to teenagers and children as young as 5 years old.
View full sizeWilbraham, 6/12/11, Staff Photo by David Molnar -- Volunteer Ryan Quimby, of East Longmeadow, cuts up downed trees, cleaning up the debris left by the June 1 tornado at Stony Brook Acres, getting the YMCA camp ready for the summer.WILBRAHAM – Stony Brook Acres summer camp will open on time thanks to the efforts of local companies who have donated thousands of dollars in manpower to clear the property of tornado damage.
Tree Corp., Suburban Forestry and Ervin & Harris Landscaping have been working since shortly after June 1 to take away more than 50 fallen trees, cut down weak trees and clear away roots. Kelley Construction is set to rebuild two sheds that were damaged.
The Nature shed, where outdoor educational materials were stored, was destroyed and blown away. The shed that houses the pool filtering equipment was moved off its foundation, said Bill Dierken, YMCA of Greater Springfield facilities director. The YMCA owns the camp.
“Everybody’s just pulling together,” said Tree Corp. co-owner Wayne Ottani, who estimated the cost of his company’s work at around $4,000. “The dollar amount doesn’t mean so much as, you know what? We’re helping out.”
The camp is set to open June 27. YMCA CEO Kirk Smith said all the money saved on the work will be used to fund camp scholarships for the children of families in emergency shelters.
YMCA development director Andrea M. Luppi said the total is around $15,000.
The 10-week day camp is open to teenagers and children as young as 5 years old. It serves 200 kids from 14 communities, Smith said.
“(We will) make sure they have a place to come for the summer to break the monotony and the stress of going back home,” he said. “The YMCA will be kind of a common denominator for a lot of these organizations and families.”
Smith said companies like Tree Corp. “just by the nature of their business” do not have much opportunity to touch the lives of inner city children, but the work they are doing at Stony Brook Acres makes a major difference.
One of the Tree Corp. volunteers is Ryan Quimby, management information systems director for the town of East Longmeadow. Ottani said Quimby took a week’s vacation from work to join in the effort. On Sunday, Quimby came to the camp after volunteering elsewhere.
Tree Corp. has also helped remove trees from yards around Springfield’s Island Pond, where Ottani said many police officers and single mothers live.
“If Tree Corp. wants to really give back, what a great way to do it!” said Smith.
Dierken said the tree stumps need to be ground down and the camp is looking for volunteers for that project.