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Burned children camp in a ‘Can’ Do way 

Summer camp conjures up thoughts of singing songs and roasting marshmallows around a campfire, making new friends, feeling a little homesick, swimming and playing pranks on counselors. 

More than 50 children from across South Carolina had the opportunity to experience all of those childhood joys and more during the annual Camp “Can” Do, a specially designed camp for burned children and fully funded by South Carolina Firefighter's Aluminum Cans for Burned Children (ACBC) program.

The camp was held Aug. 18-22 at Camp St. Christopher on Seabrook Island. A cadre of volunteers from across the state including firefighters, MUSC Children's Hospital staff and others spent hours organizing the camp which included activities such as swimming, seining, horseback riding, a hands-on science show and field games organized by the City of Charleston Fire Department.

“Kids who have been burned are no different than any other kids except for their scars,” explained ACBC director Mary Wiltshire.  “Camp ‘Can’ Do was planned to make sure these kids could experience all the joys of camp in an environment in which they feel comfortable being themselves, scars and all.” 

ACBC sponsors each child and pays for all costs associated with the camp. Firefighters and others volunteer their time to make the rest possible. 
 Wiltshire says that aluminum cans and the firefighters who collect and recycle them deserve all the credit.  “Firefighters statewide collect aluminum cans for ACBC at their local fire departments.” 

“Firefighters are the backbone of this camp,” said Captain Robert O'Donald of the Charleston Fire Department who is the camp's volunteer  director. The firefighters who come from across the state help organize activities, transport campers to and from camp and serve as counselors. “It's a real boost for the firefighters to be able to see how their efforts make a difference not only by saving some of these kids lives, but also by collecting cans for the Aluminum Cans for Burned Children recycling program. The ACBC program does great things for burned children including this camp. It's good to see how all that effort pays off.”
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CBC has recycled more than 120 million used aluminum cans in the past 13 years and has raised more than $1.4 million for South Carolina's burned children and fire safety and burn prevention education.

Anyone can participate in ACBC by taking used aluminum cans to their
local fire station. 

For more information, contact your local fire department or the ACBC office at 792-9579.