LUM Camp 2013 – Exceeds Expectations

LUM Camp — Recap

LUM Camp 2013 was this week with the theme — The Excitement of Engineering! LUM Camp introduced our campers to various engineering disciplines using Ray Ewry’s life-long dedication and commitment to learning as an inspiration.

LUM Camp is an overnight summer camp for boys and girls, 8, 9 and 10 years old. LUM campers come from families served by the Lafayette Urban Ministry. LUM Camp includes all the things a great summer camp should: morning chapel, silly camp songs, outstanding camp counselors, swimming, hiking, arts and crafts, campfires, sleeping in cabins and plenty of great camp food!

But along with these, each day at LUM Camp focused on a different field of engineering. The children saw Rube Goldberg contraptions, watched fun chemistry experiments, exercised their problem solving skills, blasted off on an imaginary adventure to outer space, worked in teams to build Lego cars, and even rode on the Boilermaker Special. Some of the finest educators from Purdue were on hand to teach and inspire our children.

To see more photos from LUM Camp 2013, click HERE.

LUM Volunteer Camp Counselors

LUM Camp Counselors are invaluable volunteers who spend the entire week at camp working with a group of campers. They are role models who assist and motivate campers whether they are trying to learn a new skill or they have concerns about an issue or idea. LUM Volunteer Camp Counselors are fun-loving, patient and genuinely concerned for the welfare and development of young people. They help create a family environment that makes LUM Camp so special. They often reflect that the benefits are numerous – the rewards of working with children, spending a week in the invigorating outdoor environment of Hanging Rock Camp, and potentially gaining new skills and experiences. They also enjoy the camp songs, bonfire, camp food, and chapel. LUM simply could not offer LUM Camp without our talented and dedicated Volunteer Camp Counselors.

LUM Camp Counselors arrive one day early for training. To see more photos of their day of training, click HERE.

Ray Ewry — Inspiration for LUM Camp 2013

This year the LUM campers were reintroduced to Ray Ewry — hometown hero, Olympian, and renowned engineer. Born in Lafayette, Indiana in 1872, he was stricken with polio as a child and told by his doctor that he would never walk again. Through sheer determination, Ray Ewry re-learned how to walk, run and jump – then went on to win 10 Olympic Gold Medals in jumping events between 1900 and 1910.

What many people don’t know is that Ray Ewry was also a renowned engineer. He earned both a bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Purdue University in mechanical engineering. He taught engineering at both Purdue and the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. He inspected newly built ships for the US navy in New Jersey. But perhaps Ray Ewry’s crowning professional achievement was as lead engineer for the New York City Board of Water Supply where he helped build the 163 mile-long aqueduct system that to this day brings fresh water from the Catskill Mountains to New York City. If you visit Manhattan and drink a glass of water with your meal or take a shower in your hotel room – you have Ray Ewry to thank.

Final Thoughts on LUM Camp

It’s a safe bet that most of our LUM Campers will not go on to win 10 Olympic Gold Medals – but each will overcome personal adversity to accomplish great things for the world. It’s a safer bet that most of the children arrived at LUM Camp this year thinking an engineer is someone who operates a locomotive – but now each will return home with a greater understanding and perhaps even a desire to someday become an engineer. It’s not just that we hope the children will model Ewry’s character and determination, but that Ray Ewry’s story will continue to encourage our LUM Campers to think about their futures in new ways. Most of our campers never dreamed about a Purdue education – but now they will leave LUM Camp knowing that higher education is a dream within their reach!

LUM Camp changes lives. Each of the 80 children have had an opportunity this week to grow and will benefit immeasurably because they were given a chance to attend LUM Camp.