Foundation enriches kids' lives at summer camp

MILFORD — While some are satisfied with dreaming about summer days to come, the Ingeborg A. Biondo Memorial Foundation’s Camp Committee is busy transforming dreams into memorable summer camping experiences for regional children with special challenges. The Ingeborg A. Biondo Foundation was created by Joseph R. Biondo, principal of Biondo Investment Advisors of Milford, as a living memorial to his wife, Ingeborg A. Biondo. Mother, wife, friend and children’s advocate, Inga’s life was defined by her passion for her four children and her desire to help children with special needs. Retired surgeon, Joyce Rocko, MD, has served on the Foundation’s Camp Committee since it was formed. “When we started, we went to the camps to see if they would fit our needs for special programming. Some did; some didn’t. Some were willing to change things to make it right,” explains Joyce. “We helped each other to decide what would be safe, ideal, and fun for these kids.” The camp committee tackles all the tasks associated with making a summer camp experience possible for kids who might otherwise never have dreamed of going to camp, explains the New Jersey native, who moved to Matamoras, PA in 1984, where she continues to live during the summer, also splitting her time between Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and aboard her boat, ‘Celebrate,’ during the winter. The dedicated Biondo Foundation board member served as director of the emergency trauma services of University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey until 1990 and is a retired full clinical professor of surgery. She also served in the Air National Guard and flew ‘back-seat’ in F4’s out of McGuire air force base, New Jersey, with flight surgeon status. But for Joyce, who never went to summer camp, the best thing about her role on the camp committee is experiencing the joy that the children have at camp. “The pictures we get at the end of the season, the letters the kids themselves write thanking us for their time at camp, the thanks from their parents who did not dream of this possibility—these are all precious to me. And it would not be possible if it weren’t for the Biondo Foundation,” Joyce notes. For many of the campers, the program instills a sense of self worth that no other experience has produced before. Joyce recalls a young boy who was at Camp Speers-Eljabar for the first time. “He was deathly afraid of water. I mean, he didn’t take showers, the sight of water frightened him so much! But by the time he left camp, he was telling everyone he learned how to swim!” says Joyce. Because every child is different, many unique camps serve the highly variable needs of campers who participate in the Biondo Foundation’s program. Eight camp programs in Pa. and N.J. participate today. The Biondo Foundation supports other services such as those provided by the Center for Developmental Disabilities, whose goal is to make the world more welcoming and accessible to people with disabilities. A year-round Respite Care Program provides caregivers and family members with restorative time, as well as scholarship and internship programs for individuals considering going into the special needs field of study. For more information about the Ingeborg A. Biondo Memorial Foundation, or to download camp applications, respite care applications and scholarship applications visit www.biondofoundation.org. To lend your support and sponsor a child for camp, please contact program coordinator Maria Crawford at 570-686-2402. The deadline for camp applications is May 29. How it began The foundation was established as a small program providing camp funding for a few children with physical, neurological or developmental challenges. The foundation’s camping program has seen consistent growth and now underwrites the cost for many children from the tri-state region of Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey to experience summer camp. Participating camps include the following: Blue Mountain Day Camp, Stillwater, N.J.; Country Ark Farm, in Milford; Camp Speers-Eljabar YMCA, in Dingmans Ferry; Camp Nejeda, Stillwater, N.J.; Camp Lee Mar, in Lackawaxen; Camp Shohola for Boys, in Greeley; GAIT of Milford; and the Pocono Environmental Education Center, in Dingmans Ferry; Joe, his wife, Ronnie, and Joe’s son, Joseph R. Biondo, work with the camp committee to create opportunities to bring together typical children and children with special needs in a camp setting where each can learn about the other. The Biondos are proud to see the Foundation’s continued growth. Last year, 138 children attended regional summer camps through the program during which they made new friends, gained increased self confidence and participated in many life-enriching experiences.