Look like fun? Start planning now for next summer’s MDS Family Program in Canada and the U.S.
Pictured: Some of the Family Program crew and participants – see a few of their favorite things on the next spread.
“You never know what trips like this can do for a child.” – ELLEN ROSENBERGER, MOM
and volunteers for the Amigo Centre, these families are a treasure: they are repairing a camp badly damaged by a derecho—a straight-line windstorm—in 2020. As the families painted the last two cabins damaged in the disaster, Mast said their efforts were just in time: a band camp would be using the cabins the very next week. Mast, along with MDS project director Dan Coyne and MDS crew leader Kelly Foster, coordinated daily tasks for the families, with age-appropriate work for all. “I’m going to show you some plants you can eat—and I’ll show you what poison ivy looks like!” said Mast, who also helped the kids paint
David Rosenberger sat back with a sense of satisfaction: “That was a lot of time and work,” he said. When asked about her favorite aspect of the MDS Family Program, Lucy Rosenberger, arranging an on-the-fly salad, said. “I like the plants to eat!” The teenagers, who helped put the last coat of paint on the newly repaired cabins, were surprised by how much work they were able to complete each day. “It was impressive,” said Bradon Eby. HOPE FOR THE FUTURE Coyne, a mental health therapist and social worker, said the MDS Family Program—which has been running in Canada for several years and was offered for the first time in the U.S. this year—is about including every voice in the next generation of MDS volunteers. Coyne said he sees a lot of hope for the impact MDS could have in the future. “The kids are brilliant—and their voice is imperative,” he said, adding as he smiled at the kids: “I hear there’s gonna be some ice cream, and there’s gonna be some s’mores!” — Susan Kim
the wooden panels for a ball court and construct wooden fire extinguisher boxes. As he finished painting his name— complete with a specially designed shadow around it— on a wooden panel,
5
behind the hammer
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