Teacher and son
honored by
cancer survivor camp
Thomas Wilk, son of Garden City Middle School science teacher Christine Wilk, is a cancer survivor and has attended Camp Adventure since 2007. It is a free one-week camp on Shelter Island for children and siblings who have/had cancer. It has been sponsored by the American Cancer Society since 1990. At the close of camp this year, the American Cancer Society no longer funds this program. It has been handed off to the current directors and will now be known as MoRE (Motivational Recovery Environment). The camp’s new motto is “We need MoRE Camp.”
Every year the elder Wilk and her son spend the summer volunteering their time to help get things ready for camp; doing everything from office work to loading trucks. “Since he is now well, we have always felt that it is our responsibility to give back,” commented Mrs. Wilk. “Whenever something needed to be done, we were more than happy to lend a hand to get the job finished.”
This year, the camp decided to create an award for a dedicated volunteer. This new tradition was to honor the volunteer who has gone above and beyond all others to make sure that camp ran well. Thomas and Christine Wilk were the first to be given this accolade that has been named “Wilking To Do MoRE” (Motivational Recovery Environment), after the first recipients. Mrs. Wilk explained, “This camp has made such a difference in my son’s life and mine, too.” The MoRE hopes that many people will step forward and be willing (WILKING) to do more so that they will always be a beacon for children in need.
