Summer Camp Swimming
“It’s time to get out of the pool,” shouted camp director, Tony Vega. Our Camden kids all had spent one of those perfect days at the State Park pool. It was their first swim trip of the summer.
Seven year old Rudy ignored the request.
“Rudy, it’s time to get out of the pool--now!” shouted Tony again, his voice a little louder and insistent. Tony didn’t want to ruin a wonderful day of swimming for the kids in his charge, for the day had been filled with laughter, and sheer joy and refreshment. Once more, “The bus is going to leave without you!”
By this time Rudy’s 55 camp mates were wrapped in towels, waiting eagerly for the bus to rev its engine and head back to Camden.
“You’re gonna have to get my clothes,” shouted Rudy, as he paddled towards the middle of the pool, away from his exasperated counselor.
“Where’re your clothes?” yelled back an increasingly frustrated Tony.
“On the grass!”
Tony turned and looked at the surrounding green lawn the size of a football field. There, within five feet of the pool he saw a white sock; ten feet in the distance was a shoe. At 20, shorts. Then a t-shirt nearly at the concession standl. As a matter of fact, all the way to the parking lot was a string of Rudy’s clothes. This was going to take a few minutes to gather them—just exactly what Rudy wanted.
“That kid must have ran towards the pool from the bus, shedding a piece of clothes every few feet,” Tony, with a suppressed smile, told me later, “He was so eager to get in the pool he didn’t care where he dropped his stuff.”
What a wonderful image! In the excitement of seeing the enticing pool, Rudy just shed everything as he run.
And, of course, he did not want to leave.
For the children like Rudy, getting out of the hot city, even just once a week, was a really big deal. To get on a bus, travel to a clean, safe, public pool is beyond wonderful for any young boy. Rudy was no exception.
Without your help this summer, taking our UrbanPromise kids for a swim would be impossible. Thank you for your wonderful gift.
Dr. Bruce Main
President, UrbanPromise International
P.S. With a little more coaxing and an armful of clothes, Tony
finally
got Rudy out of the pool.