Charity bike ride for camp where seriously ill kids can ‘raise a little hell’

Over the years I’ve reported on quite a few charity bike rides at this blog, as well as published an exhaustive list of charity bike rides from across the US.

Now it’s time for me to step up and raise pledges for a charity bike ride I’m supporting.

This September I’ll be riding in the Camp Challenge, a charity bike ride to raise funds and awareness for Camp Korey, which serves children with life-altering medical conditions. I know about the camp out in the Snoqualmie Valley because my daughter has been attending one-week summer camps there for the past three years.

Donation page

Paige (that’s her in the blue T-shirt in the upper right photo) has great fun at the camp from the moment she gets out of the car for her celebrity welcome to the final talent show. Along the way there is swimming, horseback riding, a teepee camp out, food fights, nail-painting and make-overs, tea parties and lots of fun provided by the counselors.

Message

Although her developmental delays mean she can’t communicate through speech or sign, the way she lights up when we arrive at Camp Korey sends a clear message to us that she’s really looking forward to this camp.

Many Seattle-area cyclists could be familiar with this camp as a rest stop on the Flying Wheels century bike ride presented by the Cascade Bicycle Club every June. What goes on the rest of the time at this former Nestle and Carnation company farm makes a huge difference to children living with various disabilities and serious medical conditions.

A few years ago the farm became one of several Hole in the Wall Camps co-founded by the late actor Paul Newman so kids can “hike, fish, and raise a little hell,” the Seattle Times reported a few years ago.

The camps are now renamed the Serious Fun Children’s Network, but their purpose is still the same: give children with life-altering medical conditions a safe place to have fun and enjoy being kids. All programs are free to the children and their families.

If you’d like to donate, here’s a link to my fund-raising page. I’ve set a modest goal and would certainly like to exceed it.

To participate in the ride yourself, check the link at campkorey.org/ride. It’s scheduled Sept. 8.