          
| |
LMPS Hosts Fun Day on the Lake for Thornwell
by Cdr Janice Ayers, AP
Six vans full of children of all ages and their
house parents from Thornwell Children’s Home in Clinton rolled onto Flotilla
Island on Saturday 22 July. They all excitedly poured out of the vehicles, got
fitted for their life jackets, got a safety spiel from Captain Mike Kirk and
went to work having the time of their lives! Lots of LMPS members did too!
Wayne Cromley and his girlfriend Cheryl gave boat
rides pulling a large tube and lines formed constantly on the dock waiting their
turn for the next trip. J. & Retta Strohecker and J’s nephew gave jet ski rides
and David Allen was zooming around in his jet boat giving the thrill seekers of
the group a ride to remember.
Kids swam and floated between the two docks under
the ever watchful eyes of two lifeguards. The children tried out the paddle
board that Kes and Jay Crumpler brought, maneuvered the two kayaks around like
pros, and came out only long enough to eat lunch and get a flavored ice pop or
cold water.
After a few kayak rides with the kids, Callie Dunn saw a couple of the older
boys sitting at the picnic tables hooked up to electronics and she went home,
grabbed her ladder ball game, and gave these kids another fun activity option.
Sweating over the grill were Tommy Clawson and R.
J. Becht cooking hamburgers and hotdogs for the crowd. Inside the building,
Angie Tronco, Darlene Clawson, Kathy Glenn and Ginny Swartzmiller prepared the
fixings, sides and desserts for lunch. Danny Glenn and Carl Swartsmiller were
also on hand to assist as needed.
Oddly, after all six vans were loaded and headed
back to Clinton, we collected two beach towels, one pair of jean shorts, a can
of sunscreen, and one shoe, yes, just one! So, Janice collected the wayward
items and shipped them back to their owners at Thornwell. Someone probably
needed that shoe before school starts! Special thanks to Fred and Jeanne Piehl
for letting us borrow their life jacket collection and to Mike & Angie for
getting them to the island, dried out after the event and back to storage where
they belonged.
This day seemed as special to the LMPS volunteers
and it did to the folks who visited from Thornwell. For some children, it was
their first time. For others, they had been with us before and look forward to
it every year. Several LMPS members kindly gave donations and others solicited
donations from stores to make this event happen. What a wonderful community
outreach and thanks to all who participated in all ways!
Check out the photos below to see what a fun day
everyone enjoyed. Click on the first thumbnail to open the slide show.
|
