Rotary Presents Check to Special Needs Camp

In this economic climate, $1,500 ain't horse feed.

We're not sure if that's the analogy that the Maplewood Rotary Club and Maplewood Department of Recreation were going for, but it was obvious that Rec Director George Rague was appreciative of every last cent of the Rotary Club's $1,500 donation, presented today against a backdrop of pony and wagon rides.

The check was presented by Caroline Gosselin, Christian Quaritius, Carol Gilligan and Noah Miller of the Maplewood Rotary, as the children enjoyed a special morning romp in Memorial Park.

This is the second year that the Maplewood Rotary Club has granted money to Camp Maple—a six-week summer camp for students with special needs in South Orange and Maplewood. The Rotary donation is made from its general fund which is generated by proceeds from the Rotary's three major annual fundraisers: The Christmas Tree Sale at the Maplewood Pool, the Maplewood House Tour, and Affair of the Heart.

Rague talked of ongoing efforts to identify new forms of state aid for Camp Maple. The Rotary's donation will help offset costs for the program; the tuition is currently $600 per student.

Rague also took the opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of the Camp's director, Noelle Stewart-Sullivan: "The reason the program is a success is because of all of Noelle's hard work." Stewart-Sullivan in turn was quick to credit her staff, including one ex-paraprofessional from the school district, Jean McArthur. Stewart-Sullivan said it was a gift to have such amazingly qualified people working in the camp. Another camp counselor is Claire Sinclair, a full-time teacher at Tuscan School (and Patch contributor).

Stewart-Sullivan said that most of the campers in Camp Maple are in the autism spectrum but that there are also participants with cognitive delays, ADHD and ADD.

Rague was clearly happy about the size of the check, although he continues to look for more sources of programming income: "It's a big deal for the kids," said Rague.