LUM Campfire Stories from Joe Micon
“LUM Camp provides the tools children need to navigate the challenges of growing up,” Joe Micon says. “Camp is such a fun and supportive place. Campers make new friends, experience new activities and are exposed to a world of possibility. As the week progresses, you can literally see each child grow in confidence.”
Here are a few stories he recently shared with Joan Low, LUM Board President:
- One year Joe heard the Olympic torch was passing through Indiana. He moved heaven & earth to arrange for the torch to come to LUM Camp. Each camper got to lift the torch high over their head and feel like a real Olympian!
- Another year, LUM Camp became Ag Camp, and Joe arranged for tractors, implements, and all manner of farm animals to visit. Each camper got to gaze down from the seat of a giant combine that was as big as a house. Pictured above.
- The year that LUM Camp focused on aviation and the science of flight, each camper got to fly in an airplane, see their house and school from the air, and experience our community from a fresh new perspective. Somehow, Joe even convinced the LUM Board that flying in a plane was actually safer than driving in a car.
- One former LUM camper played the snare drum in the President’s Old Guard Fife & Drum Corp after being exposed to the snare at LUM Camp. Joe remembers watching him march & perform on TV during President Bill Clinton’s Inaugural Parade.
Every morning the children are beckoned from their beds by the sights and sounds of the forest and the experience of chapel around a campfire. At chapel they learn love of neighbor and respect for creation. They hear scripture stories about God’s love for them and justice for all his children. After breakfast they have a full day of hiking, riding horses, boating, swimming, entertainment, and art. LUM Camp is known for its great food, outstanding facilities, experienced staff & counselors, and all the singing, skits, and activities to form fond memories of fun, learning, and challenge.
We hope that this year you will give, not only for our campers, but also in honor of Joe’s 40 years of service to them. Over four decades, Joe has touched the lives of 4,000 at-risk children. Please, won’t you give a local child the gift of LUM Camp?