Kids, Counselors have a blast

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Agneta Murnan
  • 71 FTW/PA
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  What's better than summer vacation from school? If you're a kid in Enid or a volunteer at Vance Air Force Base, it is summer camp. Camp Tomahawk concluded its 33rd annual two weeks of fun for kids and adults alike at Vance Friday.

The camp runs one week Monday through Friday for boys ages nine through 11, and the following week with the same activities for girls. This year there were 13 boys and 19 girls participating in activities ranging from water fun at Enid's Splash Zone to taking Piper and Cessna rides at the Enid Woodring Regional Airport. Other activities included a fire department tour, rollerskating at Skatetown of Enid, a visit to Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse and Adventure Quest, swimming, rides at Frontier City, a trip to both the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial and the Oklahoma City Zoo, testing out the Vance flight simulators and attending an Oklahoma Storm basketball game. Of course it wouldn't have been a true summer camp experience without a campfire and s' mores.

Camp Tomahawk offers children not only a packed schedule of fun-filled activities, it provides an atmosphere where they are "allowed to be themselves and have fun," said camp counselor SSgt. Heidi Marie Noll, 71st Operations Group support program non-commissioned officer in charge, adding that she "loved to see their faces light up."

The planning this year began in March, according to Capt. Chad Rogers, Camp Tomahawk's director for 2007. Capt. Rogers is an instructor pilot for the 25th Flying Training Squadron at Vance and became involved three years ago after he learned about it from a friend who had been involved, Russell Badowski.

One of Captain Rogers' favorite parts was sharing new experiences with the children; especially sharing the flying experience with those who had never flown before. At the Enid Woodring Regional Airport, said Captain Rogers, "some of the kids got to actually take control of the jet for a brief time."

For camp counselor Airman 1st Class Latoya Cole, this is an opportunity to be the big sister she always wanted as a child. "The kids really like spending time with us," said Airman Cole, who spent her mornings in the office as a customer service representative for the 71 Mission Support Squadron Military Personnel Flight and her afternoons as a camp counselor.

Ricki Crabtree, Enid Chamber of Commerce membership and special events director, matched Chamber sponsorship, local restaurant sponsorship and community resources to program the camp. While on the planning side, Ms. Crabtree said that she visits Camp Tomahawk during mealtime, and said that she gets to see "how excited the kids are to do what they might not normally get to do."

Ms. Crabtree said that there are 20 spots for boys and 20 spots for girls each year, so there is room for more participants. Applications are available at the Chamber office in late April each year.