Camp Echoing Hills hosts fall festival
Kaya Bower enjoyed the pit of shelled corn at the Camp Echoing Hills Fall Festival. Josie Sellers | Beacon
WARSAW – Cristy Bower couldn’t wait to bring her daughter to the Camp Echoing Hills Fall Festival.
“I wanted to bring her here to play and see where mom works,” Bower said.
Her 4-year-old daughter Kaya Bower enjoyed the shelled corn pit and happily made “corn angels.”
“I’ve been working in the corporate office now for a few months and think this is an awesome place,” Cristy said.
The fall festival gave people the opportunity to tour Camp Echoing Hills by hayride, enjoy carnival games, a bounce house, go-carts, paintball with targets, face painting and crafts, get a $1 minute massage, purchase camp merchandise and Echoing Connections Wreaths, and enjoy a snack while taking in a display of the camp’s history.
“As a camper or a volunteer it’s awesome being here,” said Blake Smith from Dublin.
He was a camper and has now been volunteering for seven years. Together he and Carter Milatovich of Zanesville manned the sucker game. Milatovich feels camp is a great way to open people’s eyes and teach them that they shouldn’t generalize people with disabilities.
Brad Rice of Medina also volunteered at the camp and helped Kassondra Vaughn of Wooster, who has worked at camp for three summers, out at the bounce house.
“This past summer was my first year here,” Rice said. “It was amazing and very humbling.”
Vaughn noted that the bounce house at the festival was very popular and she was enjoying herself at the event.
“I love working with kids,” she said.
The fall festival was part of Echoing Hills 50th anniversary celebration. The event brought back people who have been touched by the organization including Shaker Samuel. He was the camp administrator for a little more than 30 years and is the father of current camp administrator Lauren Unger.
“This is a place where everybody can be somebody,” Samuel said. “Here there is no such thing as a disability.”
He is very proud that Unger followed in his footsteps.
“Even as a little girl she took pride in camp,” Samuel said. “She’s always loved working with people with disabilities. It’s her passion.”
Camp Echoing Hills is a Christian camp that serves individuals with disabilities of all ages and abilities. Information on camp can be found at www.campechoinghills.org. Echoing Hills is located at 36272 County Road 79 in Warsaw.
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