ClarksvilleNow.com Reporting
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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Camp Rainbow Radio-thon on Beaver 100.3, presented by Toyota of Hopkinsville, continues Friday.

(SEE PHOTOS FROM CAMP RAINBOW 2013)

“We suspend normal operations once a year to tell the story of Camp Rainbow,” said Program Director Jared Mims. “We don’t have any official numbers yet, but I can say that yesterday was a very good day. We appreciate the support from donors in the community and encourage everyone who can to contribute.”

During this annual campaign, the radio station features interviews, music, and vignettes on Camp Rainbow, which provides a weeklong camp experience for seriously ill children.

Camp Rainbow is part of the Dream Factory, which was originally established in Hopkinsville, Ky. to give seriously ill children an opportunity to have a special wish granted. The program was then brought to Clarksville by Steve and Diane Miner.

The couple began granting dreams to these children, but quickly realized they wanted to do more, and in 1983 they founded Camp Rainbow to give the kids more opportunities to grow and simply have fun.

“Many of the campers have special medical needs that make regular camp impossible for them,” Mims said. “That’s one of the things that makes this such a great experience for these families; everything is taken care of.”

Camp Rainbow is completely free for children and their families and relies on volunteers and donations from the community. Campers have their own counselor for the full week and are supervised by medical professionals from Premiere Medical Group of Clarksville.

“It’s a happy time, and those kids forget about their illnesses and pitch in to help each other,” Steve said. “The ones who benefit are the counselors and staff by being around those kids because they’re so courageous and have so much to offer to us.”

During the radio-thon the Beaver studio fills up with Camp Rainbow kids, parents, counselors, and community supporters. “It’s hectic and it’s a lot of work for our on-air talent, but they are all believers in Camp Rainbow and they’re happy to be part of it,” Mims said.

Diane said the experience is life-changing for the children. “Time after time we see a child who had low self-esteem or just felt sickly, that they didn’t really need to be a child and have fun anymore. They just come out of their shell, and they go home out of their shell and become a new person. They’ve learned that even though they’re sick or different they can still be a happy person. That’s what makes the camp worth it all,” she said.

To become a Dream Maker, pledge $20 a month for a year at (931) 648-7721. The phone bank for the Radio-thon is sponsored by Plato’s Closet.

Find more information about Camp Rainbow here.