ASHFORD, Conn. — On the night of February 12, 2021, a massive fire broke out at the Hole in The Wall Gang Camp. One of the main buildings was destroyed, but that has not deterred camp officials from preparing for the summer.
"It just felt so violent that something you love that much could be attacked that violently," the camp's CEO Jimmy Canton told FOX61 News.
The camp was founded by actor Paul Newman in 1988 for children battling life-threatening illnesses. The camp served 288 children in its first summer.
The Hole in The Wall Gang Camp now serves over 20,000 children and families all year round. The camp also has outreach programs that bring the camp directly to a child’s hospital bedside. A team of 35 volunteers travels to varying children’s hospitals in several states.
Canton has been the head of the camp since 2002 and he started as a volunteer counselor in 1988. He said the day after this magical place burned, it was like "going to a funeral home."
"Your stomach tightening bracing yourself for what you’re about to see," Canton said.
The Ashford Fire Marshal's Office could not determine a cause for the fire but did say it was not intentionally set. The building which burned was home to the arts and crafts center, the woodshop, and the camp store.
The structure was made completely of wood. It was also connected to the camp’s dining hall which was miraculously spared, basically unscathed.
On the campgrounds in Ashford, every aspect is in place to accommodate the most physically challenged child. If you walk around the camp, you’ll find a wheelchair-accessible treehouse consisting of a 350-foot ramp to allow wheelchair-bound campers the chance to be in a treehouse for the first time.
You’ll also find a pool, heated to 90 degrees year-round, adjacent to an outdoor sauna, to allow children battling Sickle Cell Anemia the chance to swim in a pool for the very first time.
An infirmary acts as a “mini-hospital” is in the center of the camp. During the summer, nurses, oncologists, hematologists, and nurses will volunteer for a week at a time to allow campers to continue their treatments while at camp.
This summer, it will be a little different after the fire - but the experience will be just as meaningful.
"What have our families taught us? We rise," Canton said. "That resilience fortifies everyone and that certainly comes from the courage and endless love and commitment that our families have for the care of their children. And you see that child after child after child."
After this summer’s season, the work on a new building will begin. It will be single-level to allow for wheelchair access throughout and will also include a tornado shelter in the basement.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the in-person camp was canceled last summer. This year, campers will be back in Ashford along with their families on reduced capacity.
Roughly 300 families will be at camp this summer. Simultaneously, 850 campers have been invited to take part in a virtual camp as well.
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is run year-round offering fall and spring weekends, parent retreats, and outreach programs to children as well. Hopefully, by summer 2022, the camp will be back to full capacity with 1,100 campers in person over the summer.
Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is free of charge for every single child and is mainly supported through donations. The camp is a partner with Travelers and also receives funding from Newman’s Own.
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