As campers, we didn’t know that the obstacle course had to be built specifically for us, that the telephone poll hadn’t just conveniently fallen in place for us to play Teepee Shuffle on during Round Robins or even that Rotarians had to be trained to select us. Throughout the history of Camp RYLA in District 5810, and for all the campers that have passed through it, three men have worked in the background to ensure that camp runs smoothly.
Jim Duffy, Kevin Foster and Chris Kellen have each been an integral part of Camp RYLA for over a decade. Throughout the years, they have ultimately organized and executed the logistics for many of the activities that allow our camp to run.
Kevin Foster has been apart of Camp RYLA in District 5810 since its inception in 1991. Kevin’s daughter, 2009 Alumni Award Winner Miche McKneeley, says her dad thinks of the campers and staff as his own kids. Kevin and his wife moved up to their family farm in Illinois several years ago, after he retired from his career as an American Airlines pilot. Since then, Kevin has driven back to Texas each June specifically for camp, bringing many of the materials needed for camp’s activities back with him in his own trailer. Mark Healy comments that Kevin has the biggest heart of any man he has ever known.
Jim Duffy first served at camp in its second year, and has now been a vital part of its organization and implementation for 18 years. “I came out here one year, fell in love with it and I’ve been coming ever since,” he says. Big Duff’s work begins long before camp, though. He trains each of the district’s Rotary clubs to recruit campers. Once this is accomplished, he then organizes camper transportation to and from camp with each club and communicates with them on anything else pertaining to Camp RYLA.
Chris Kellen first came to RYLA 15 years ago, expecting to volunteer as a paramedic for just one week, met Kevin and Duffy, and has not missed one year since. Other than working long days with Kevin and Duffy and serving as RYLA’s head paramedic, Chris also maintains the trailer that holds most of our camp supplies. When asked why he returns each year, he responds, “Because of all of you. There are just good people here.” Mark Healy says of this Paul Harris Fellow and future president of the Addison Rotary Club that he is a “giver by nature.”
Each year these three men come to camp, dig holes, carry sound equipment around all day, set up all of our outdoor activities and Olympic events, run water to each of them and do all of the other laboring tasks that enable the campers to learn some of the important lessons that camp is designed to teach them. They do all of this joyfully because they share a love for this camp and its people. Just as Camp RYLA in District 5810 would never have been what it is today without the work of Mark Healy and Dr. Dana Mackison, it would never have operated as well as it does without the work of Kevin Foster, Jim Duffy and Chris Kellen.
Thank you Kevin, Big Duff and Chris for all that you have done and continue to do. Your dedication to the staff and this camp is inspiring and immeasurably appreciated.
by Brooke Cantrell
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | Brooke, Chris, Duffy, Kevin, RYLA
