Missouri summer camp lets young burn victims 'blossom'

For most children, camp is an enjoyable diversion during summer break, but for those who attend the Missouri Children's Burn Camp in Rocky Mount, Mo., it's a chance for a new beginning.

Gordonville resident Butch Amann, a fire investigator with the Missouri Department of Public Safety, volunteered as a counselor with the camp for 10 years.

The weeklong camp in central Missouri allows burn victims to come together each August to find support during their recovery. This year's camp is the week of Aug. 7.

A burn survivor himself, Amann spent four days in the hospital being treated for his injuries when he was a child.

"It wasn't too serious, and I wasn't badly scarred," Amann said. "I was also born with a birth defect and was teased and bullied all through high school. Children who are burn survivors go through a lot of that stuff because of their scars and how they look. ... I thought it would be kind of a neat idea to be a camp counselor and that I might have something to offer."

Amann said the camp offers children an environment where they don't have to worry about being bullied because of their appearance.

"You watch them grow and come out of their shells," Amann said. "In the real world, when they go to school, they're called ugly. They're called all kinds of names and no one wants anything to do with them because they've got scars and they look different. But they're not different. Not one bit. You get them to camp and they run around and get mischievous and they do all the things you expect a kid to do. Once they start opening up, they just blossom."

Sponsored by the Burns Recovered Support Group, a not-for-profit organization, the camp is funded by donations, allowing children to attend the camp for free.

Linda Hansen, camp founder and executive director of the Burns Recovered Support Group, said the camp provides young burn survivors a sense of community.

"Most of them have never met other burn survivors," Hansen said. "It gives them the opportunity to meet other kids who have the same injuries."

Hansen said the support they receive at camp translates into self-confidence when they return home.

"For instance, we had a child come to the camp who was 9 years old and had severe burns on his upper body," Hansen said. "He came back to the camp when he was 14 years old and told me that he had finally gone to a public swimming pool for the first time since being burned. He no longer was afraid of people staring at him or coming up to him to ask questions about his scars."

Amann said that support is important in helping campers regain their self-confidence. Many of the young burn victims arrive at camp with emotional walls that can be hard to penetrate.

"There was one camper named Jacob. I think he was 16 years old at the time," Amann said. "He still had a tracheotomy that we had to take care of and fresh skin grafts on his back and shoulders when he arrived. The second he got off the bus, he walked off by himself and wouldn't let anyone near him."

Amann said he spent the next week encouraging Jacob to join the group and participate in activities.

"By the end of the week, he ended up being the life of the party at the Saturday night dance," Amann said. "I got some of the fiercest hugs I've ever gotten in my life from him when he left, thanking me and telling me what a good time he had. He was a completely different person, and I found out recently that he went on to get married and have two children."

Hansen said Jacob is only one of the campers Amann helped transform during his time as a counselor.

"Butch was there as a role model and a mentor," Hansen said. "He showed the kids the kind of people they could be when they grew up. He gave them that guidance. As a matter of fact, I just found out that the same 14-year-old boy who wouldn't go swimming went on to join the Navy. I just spoke to him recently and he said Butch was his favorite counselor at camp. Butch would talk to him and encourage him to think about what he was going to do when he grew up and where he was planning to go to college. Butch made him realize that he was capable of accomplishing anything he wanted."

Amann said he's always surprised to hear about the effect he's had on campers and that his only goal was to help camp attendees by sharing his own experiences.

"You just don't realize, until later on, how much impact you're having on some of these kids' lives," Amann said. "That's pretty rewarding."

For more information on the Burns Survived Support Group or the Children's Burn Camp, visit brsg.org.

ssemmler@semissourian.com

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Rocky Mount, MO