Free camp will help children of deployed servicemembers Published June 26, 2007 By Corey Dahl 21st Space Wing Public Affairs PETERSON AFB, Colo. -- Children of servicemembers about to deploy will be able to attend a unique day camp this summer - free of charge. Character Concepts, a nonprofit foundation run by the Aesir Group, a business education firm, is organizing two four-day camps for children that will use games, classes and team-building exercises to teach values such as respect and responsibility. The camp is made possible thanks to donations from local businesses and individuals. Geared toward children with a parent who is deployed, has deployed recently or is preparing to deploy soon, the camp is meant to help kids better cope with their parent's absence, said George Hart, Aesir Group chief executive officer. "When one member of your family is deployed, a lot of things fall on the kid - stress, extra responsibilities," he said. "We want to give them some tools to deal with that both internally and externally." Lessons in manners and self-discipline won't come without a hearty dose of fun, though, Mr. Hart said. Kids at the camp, who will range in age from middle school to early high school, may play laser tag as teams, teaching the value of community over self, or they might try bowling blindfolded, requiring their peers to guide them through the process. "One of our goals is to make sure the kids have fun," he said. 'We want them to enjoy being at a day camp but learn while they're there." The whole program is possible because of donations from the community. A donor who wishes to remain anonymous is providing the bulk of the money for the camp, he said, while others have donated goods or deeply discounted their services. Steve Bigari, for example, is allowing the camp to use Bigg City at a discount for two days while the Air Force Academy will allow the camp to use its grounds, free of charge, for the other two. Without the donations, the camp would have cost a little more than $150,000 to run, Mr. Hart said, at a cost of $375 per child. "Lots of people have come behind this and really helped make it happen," he said. If the community continues to provide donations, Mr. Hart said, the camp could become an annual event. With the National Military Family Association estimating that there are roughly 5,000 children of deploying or deployed military members in Colorado alone, Mr. Hart said he would like to see the program expand to as many as eight camps per summer, accommodating roughly 1,300 kids. Impossible? He doesn't think so. A retired Army major, Mr. Hart said he and many other local military retirees will do whatever they can to give back to their former colleagues. "A lot of us here are former military," he said. "When we were active duty, the community did all kinds of things for us, so this is our way of giving back now." (Operation Military Kids Character Camps run July 23 to 26 and July 30 to Aug. 2 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with lunch provided. The camp is free and open to children entering sixth through 10th grades with a parent who is deployed, has deployed recently or will deploy soon. To register for the camp, go to www.aesirgroup.com. Click on the button that says "Character Programs" and then the link that says "Middle School" to find an online registration form. Interested parents can also call 785-4823 to request information and a registration form by phone. Organizers would like participants to register by July 6; camps are limited to 160 children each. ) Comment on this story.