Those with HIV/AIDS get a respite

Mitzy Hernandez is sitting quietly at her kitchen table, nibbling on a confetti-speckled strawberry Pop Tart.

“She’s shy at first,” advises her father, Jose, as he rests on a nearby stationary exercise bicycle. Mitzy smiles, her black dangly earrings grazing her shoulders as she nods her head. The two share a glance across the living room of the small Long Beach apartment where they reside. It’s a quick look, but in the instant it’s evident how well the pair understand one another.

Indeed, Jose’s daughter is his world. Once a welder at a refinery, he retired 14 years ago after the death of his wife, Mitzy’s mother, who was afflicted by the AIDS virus. Both Jose and his daughter contracted the disease through her, and he now stays at home full time to take care of Mitzy.

When she’s at school, Mitzy, an eighth-grader, is forced to endure the teasing of her classmates due to physical issues caused by osteoporosis, diabetes and eyesight problems. But there’s one place where the 14-year-old is able to drop her withdrawn veneer and build her self-esteem: an enclave in the San Bernardino Mountains called Camp Laurel. For a week each summer, the camp greets 90 youngsters ages 6 to 12 and 45 teens ages 13 to 16 who are affected by or living with HIV/AIDS.

“There’s still a stigma that’s attached to the illness,” says Margot Andrew, founder and president of Camp Laurel. “You know, that people with AIDS are dirty, or that if you touch them you might catch it. People are ignorant about the disease, and camp is a safe place where kids can talk about their sickness openly.”

“They’ll have informal chitchat about things like, ‘Oh, well, how do I tell somebody I love that I have AIDS?’ ” Andrew explains. “Or, ‘How can you tell your boyfriend that you’re infected and need to have safe sex?’ ”

At Laurel, campers are also able to engage in more unusual activities than at most other summer camps, such as waterskiing, creating podcasts and even filming a public service announcement about AIDS.

Despite the eclectic choices, Mitzy, who will spend her seventh summer at camp this year, says she’s attracted to the more everyday kind of camping experiences, such as swimming and hiking.

“She had a beautiful [time] there,” adds Jose, who has traveled with Mitzy to Camp Laurel’s winter family program.

“I forgot I had children while I was there,” Jose jokes. “Some parents go to relax, but others talk about how to support yourself against discrimination. You find your real family who support you there.”

Camp Laurel Foundation Inc. is one of 60 organizations receiving financial support this year through the Los Angeles Times Summer Camp Campaign. More than 8,000 underprivileged children will go to camp this summer, thanks to $1.5 million raised last year. The annual fundraising campaign is part of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, which this year will match the first $1.1 million in contributions at 50 cents on the dollar.

Donations are tax-deductible. For more information, call (213) 237-5771. To make donations by credit card, go to latimes.com/summercamp. To send checks, use the attached coupon. Do not send cash. Unless requested otherwise, gifts of $50 or more will be acknowledged in The Times.

amy.kaufman@latimes.com