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A MEGA good time
Camp attracts almost as many volunteers as children
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Payton Flemming, 11, of Owings tries to balance a pile of soft balls, unsuccessfully, on an overturned basket on her head Friday during the last day of Chesapeake Church's RainbowLand MEGA Week in Huntingtown. This year's theme was "Mission Possible: An Adventure Through The Orient." The camp attracted 663 children and 406 volunteers.
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Though school hasn't even been out for a month, hundreds of Calvert County youngsters may have already had the best week of their summer.
At RainbowLand MEGA Week 2009 at Chesapeake Church in Huntingtown, 663 elementary school aged children were invited to participate in productions, play "wacky water games," and do athletic and artistic activities at what Children's Pastor Nancy O'Brien calls "vacation Bible school on steroids."
"It's one of the hallmark events at Chesapeake Church … we call it the best week of the kids' summer," O'Brien said of the program, now in its 23rd year, which ran from June 22 to 26 from 9 a.m. to noon. It culminated on Friday with numerous productions, a carnival and a picnic.
Unlike many summer programs, O'Brien explained that MEGA Week has almost as many teenage and adult volunteers as it has youth participants.
"It's usually the kids that grow up in the program that become part of our core volunteer team," said O'Brien, who continued that once a family becomes involved with the program the involvement tends to be lifelong and something that not even distance can separate.
One of these volunteers was former Huntingtown resident Eric Rasmussen who came from North Carolina with his family just for the program, with which he and his wife Lori have been involved for more than a decade.
"We enjoy the church … and come back for the friendships we've made here," said Rasmussen, adding "We pretty much work with the same group every year."
One element of the program that O'Brien explained they are trying to expand is introducing more special needs students, all of whom, she said, have their own volunteer helper.
O'Brien also said that MEGA Week isn't just for members of Chesapeake Church or any church at all for that matter.
"This is a very comfortable place for kids to come if they don't have a church background … and the fun factor is off the charts," she said.
Prince Frederick resident Shelby Gash experienced "the fun factor" first-hand saying, "I like this place because it's a lot of fun and there are a lot of nice people here and the group leaders always bring in amazing things."
Shelby, 9, said that one of her favorite parts of the program was the "human checkerboard" because "With all the blocks, I like to be able to jump to each one … I just love that checkerboard. It also looks like a disco floor."
Kylie McDaniel of North Beach said she enjoyed the performances, particularly because her mother and grandmother were two of the actors.
"It just makes me want to say ‘I'm so happy for you' and I'm really excited because not all parents and grandparents get to come up," Kylie, 8, said, describing the productions as "exciting, adventurous and very funny."
Shelby agreed and said that the acting, done by volunteers who have been rehearsing for the past few months, is superb as well.
"They're amazing, how they act so well. It makes you feel like they actually mean it," Shelby said.
Despite only being five days long MEGA Week itself is planned year-round, allowing every aspect of the program to be fully organized.
Volunteer Katha Scheeler said that it's all worth it, explaining, "The impact this has on kids is everlasting … it gets in your blood … half of the adult volunteers take a week vacation just to be here."
