A place that promotes climbing to new heights
If Scotty Ross were to script a film chronicling his 19 years of life, a recurring location would quickly make itself apparent: a 60-acre stretch of pine-filled woods near Palm Springs, where nearly everything central to the plot takes place.
Here, Ross’ mother, Maryann, snapped photographs when former President Reagan chatted with her son as a tot. A few years later, it was the location at which Ross conquered his fear of heights, climbing a wall of intimidating size. At 17, it’s where he finally got up the nerve to ask a cute girl to dance.
The story has many somber moments, however -- like the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 3 and all that followed: a bone marrow transplant, chemotherapy, full-body radiation, a 10-year remission and, most recently, the discovery of a brain tumor.
But to hear Ross tell it, even a chronic illness is secondary to the 17 summers in which he’s visited the cost-free Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times. Each summer for the last 25 years, nearly 600 children ages 9-18 have attended weeklong sessions at the camp, where activities such as horseback riding and fishing are made accessible to the chronically ill.
“When he was first diagnosed with the brain tumor, we were trying to think of something positive about him having cancer,” Maryann Ross said. “And the best thing we all got to was camp. He wouldn’t be who he is without it.”
The facility aims to raise the campers’ sense of worth, many having been left self-conscious as a result of bodily changes, such as hair loss from chemotherapy.
Becoming socially competent is emphasized as well, said Brian Crater, the camp’s executive director for program services. For campers who’ve spent the majority of their time in the hospital, interaction with their peers has typically been limited. The program also promotes independence.
“Some kids have been told they can’t swim in a pool because of possible infection, or go on a backpack because of limb replacement,” Crater said. “But at camp, it’s not what you can’t do. It’s like, ‘Hey, if I can do stuff here I’ve been told is impossible, then what else can I really be successful at too?’ ”
But perhaps most beneficial for many campers is the sense of belonging they gain from being around others like themselves.
“A lot of kids are discriminated against in school because other kids think they can catch it [an illness], or something like that,” said Ross, who lives in Garden Grove and attends Bolsa Grande High School full time. “But at camp, we aren’t discouraged by our illness, and we all just brag about our scars. It’s like, ‘Mine’s bigger than yours!’ ”
Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times 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 www.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.
