Children attending Camp Hope spent Wednesday morning at Stoneridge Country Club.  While some came for the chance to play golf, others took part in a scavenger hunt that took teams around the club house grounds on a quest to play games, win stickers, and have fun.
Volunteers from the community escorted teams of four to stations featuring a bean bag toss, giant floor puzzles, balloon races and water related games.  After completing each task, the groups would receive the clue that directed them to the next station. At noon, campers attended a luncheon in the banquet room of the clubhouse where they were served hamburgers, french fries, pasta salad, followed by an ice cream sundae bar for dessert. In the afternoon, campers planned to travel to Walnut Bowl.
Other activities happening this week include trips to Brit Spaugh Zoo and the Wetlands Aquatic Center, talent and fashion shows and more.  Campers arrived Sunday afternoon and will go home Saturday.
Camp Hope is a free camp for children who have cancer, or have had cancer. The Kansas camp was started more than three decades ago by the American Cancer Society, and for years was held at Barton Community College’s Camp Aldrich. This year, operation of the camp has been taken over by the Kans for Kids Fighting Cancer Foundation. Fire destroyed the Camp Aldrich dining hall in April, so Camp Hope moved to the college campus this year.
Campers come from all over. Sara, a teen from Overland Park who is  back for her third year at Camp Hope, said the changes haven’t lessened the fun camp experience.
“It’s a little different, but it’s good,” she said, noting the golf tournament and other activities have continued as usual.
Halfway through Camp Hope 2014, Gail Moeder from the Kans for Kids Camp Hope committee said things were running smoothly.