Photo By Sgt. Shannon Yount | Marine 1st Sgt. Ryan Legg with 4th Landing Support Battalion, based in Vienna,...... read more read more
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CHAGRIN VALLEY, Ohio - Hard work and dedication were instrumental for completing the mission to enhance the lives of the youth at Hiram House Camp.
Twenty-five Marines with Marine Forces Reserve volunteered for the community service project to improve several facilities at the camp June 12 during Marine Week Cleveland, which ends June 17.
The camp, a nonprofit organization, is designed for children and at risk youth, giving them the opportunity to escape normal day-to-day life and explore positive activities and interact with peers in a camping environment. The camp, founded in 1896, is the oldest in Ohio.
The Marine volunteers, determined to do their part to help ensure the camp continues to enrich the lives of local children, were ready for some hard work. And work hard they did. Marines renovated floors, moved furniture, completed unfinished fences, cleared dilapidated obstacle courses and built furniture to better.
"They spent an entire day here," said Russ Grundke, executive director of the camp.
What the Marines did for the camp speaks volumes on more than one level, explained Grundke, a Cleveland native.
If it wasn't for the Marines volunteering, nothing would have been completed until much later in the year and possibly not until next year, he said.
It was an excellent opportunity for the children to see extraordinary role models to emulate, said Grundke.
"I feel it's a great example on how the Marines gave back and volunteered their time," said Ken Fortuna, Hiram House Camp program director.
Marines do a lot of great things for this country, and this is just one example, he further explained.
"It's going to benefit the campers because they see the Marines out here and making their lives better and safer," said Master Sgt. Richard Fields, with Marine Forces Reserve.
Volunteering at the camp was a great opportunity to mentor the adolescents, he said.
The Marines provided the children with positive examples of what they can do with their lives, explained Fields, a native of Oswego, Ill.
For one Marine the visit hit home more than most.
"I volunteered to work on the camp without knowing it was where I went when I was little," said Cpl. Shawn Diefendorff, infantryman with 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, headquartered at Brook Park. "It wasn't until I got here when I noticed I use to go here."
Walking down memory lane, Diefendorff remembered some of the happiest moments of his youth.
"At the time, (then Camp Harmony) was a place to get the boys together," said Diefendorff, 27, a native of Saville, Ohio. "During summer camp, we would go down to the creek to catch bullfrogs, go swimming in the pool and learn archery," Diefendorff said.
Though he has many fond memories of the camp, one stands out.
"I remember a picture hanging on the wall at camp. It was a picture of a Marine. I told the (camp counselor) that I was going to be that man in the picture," he said.
Several weeks before Marine Week Cleveland, he found out, the man in the photo was his uncle, he further explained.
Since his youth at the camp, Diefendorff has honorably served his country with three deployments and is preparing for his fourth deployment in the upcoming year.
The camp renovations were the highlight of Diefendorff's week.
"If there is anything I can do to help them have the same experiences like I had when I was here. I am doing something right," said Diefendorff.
| Date Taken: | 06.13.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 06.13.2012 20:54 |
| Story ID: | 89945 |
| Location: | CLEVELAND, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 253 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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