Evening star., 1938-07-24


er Of the attic room that is home to
Mrs. Flynn and her son, Jerry, is a
neat little pile Of clean. carefully
starched play clothes The clothes
aren't new, they're patched in a dozen
places, but they're almost all the
clothes Jerry has in the world.
I've tried to make him wear them. u
Mrs. Flynn told a camp worker yes
terday, but he just won't do it. He
says he wants to be sure they'll be
ready when he goes to camp"
The clothes have been lying in that
bureau drawer for three months while
Jerry gets along in a torn little shirt
and ragged shorts. For three months
Jerry has been looking forward to
August 9, the day he packs his modest
outfit and leaves for camp.
The Flynns-there are just the two
OF them-had pretty bad time until
just recently. Mrs. Flynn lost the job
she d had for years in February and
Jerry, knowing his mother was wor-
ried. started truanting from school
to help her.
Did All Sorts Of Work.
He's always had good marks, espe-
cially in geography and history. but
he couldn't 60 to school when he
knew his mother was wearing herself
out trying to get work and not eating
at all. Instead Of going to school. he
walked dogs. carried packages. washed
cars and did everything a 10-year-old
could do to earn a few pennies.
Recently Mrs. FLYNN got P. w. A.
job and Jerry had a chance to think
about something besides making
money. The bad marks he'd got in
school during the second semester
when he'd truanted 80 often tor
tured him. Depressed and too thin
because he. too hadn't eaten much
during the lean months, Jerry was
told he had been put on the list for
Camp Good Will.
When am 1 soing?" he asked the
camp worker eagerly.
Even when she told him he wasn't
to go until August he remained ex-
cited.
Three months isn't 40 long" he
said. Now know I'm going to camp,
it won't seem long at all
And so Jerry started putting his
clothes away and shining up his ba t
and ball. Gone was the misery that
had dogged his footsteps for six
months. Jerry was on his way.
Chances Seem Very Slim.
Yesterday, when the camp worker
saw Jerry's little pile of clothes, she
didn't have the heart to tell Mrs.
Flynn that Jerry's chances Of going to
camp were very slim.
Jerry is in the fourth group-the 24O
children who are scheduled to have
their two weeks in August. He needs
the camp just as badly as the chill
dren who went in the earlier periods
but he was just unlucky enough to be
scheduled for the last two week period.
Only the contributions OF a generous
public saved the camp from closing be-
fore its third period. Two hundred
and forty youngsters will board buses
for camp Tuesday and Wednesday be-
cause Washington people responded
to the desperate need of its youngest
citizens.
Explaining the situation yesterday
William Savin. director Of the Fam
lily Service Association, which operates
Camps Good Will and Pleasant al
Chopawamsic, Va. said s2,400 still
must be raised to give the last group
of 240 children their summer vaca-
tions.
I'VE asked sl6,295 from the Com
munity Chest as the minimum fox
this year. he said. That was less
than we'd gotten in most years when
the camps were just for outings in
Rock Greek Park Last year we were
given s13.5o0 for the camps at Chopa
wamsic, but the Variety Club helped