READER SUBMITTED: Channel 3 Kids Camp Dedicates Jennifer Hawke-Petit Health Lodge

On Tuesday, Oct. 16, Channel 3 Kids Camp celebrated the completion of its newly-renovated Health Lodge with a ribbon cutting ceremony and building dedication at 10 a.m. The building is now the Jennifer L. Hawke-Petit Health Lodge.

Made possible by generous contributions from the Petit Family Foundation and KBE Building Corporation, the new facility is part of a master plan created to not only improve and expand the current physical facilities at the camp, but to develop the necessary infrastructure both in building and programming to become a camp for all kids.

"This is one of my happiest days as Executive Director of the Channel 3 Kids Camp," said Channel 3 Kids Camp Executive Director, Denise Hornbecker. "Completion of this project seemed more like a dream several years ago, but now, it's a reality because of the generous gifts from The Petit Family Foundation and KBE Building Corporation."

The Petit Family Foundation funded the project with its first Legacy Grant in the amount of $100,000. Its name honors the memory of Jennifer Hawke-Petit , who had been a nurse.

"This project meets all three areas of the mission of the Petit Family Foundation," Dr. William Petit said to the gathering for the ribbon cutting. "What the camp does here ties together our goals to foster the education of young people, especially women in the sciences; to improve the lives of those affected by chronic illnesses; and to support efforts to protect and help those affected by violence."

The original health lodge was built in 1957 with a grant of $8,600 from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. One of the oldest buildings on property, time had not been kind to the health lodge and it was in seriously deteriorating condition. Now, the Jennifer L. Hawke-Petit Health Lodge is an ADA compliant, state-of-the-art facility able to support the first aid and medical needs of children who attend summer camp or year-round programs.

KBE Building Corporation will be renovating and constructing three program buildings at the Channel 3 Kids Camp. Work began with the Jennifer Hawke-Petit Health Lodge. The actual cost of this project is nearly 3 million dollars; Channel 3 Kids Camp will only need to pay 1/3 of that cost. Completion of these barrier-free buildings will allow the Channel 3 Kids Camp to safely serve even more children of all backgrounds and abilities.

The Channel 3 Kids Camp is located at 73 Times Farm Road, Andover, CT 06232. To learn more about our mission and year-round programs please visit us online at http://www.channel3kidscamp.org or call (860) 742-2267. The Channel 3 Kids Camp is owned and operated by the Almada Lodge Times - Farm Camp Corp. and is a 501 (c)(3).

http://www.courant.com/community/hcrs-67015hc-andover-20121022,0,4561022.story