Inmates at Suffolk County Correctional Facility Provide a Much-Needed Transformation at Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck

Vocational Training Program Gives Those Who Are Incarcerated an Opportunity to Contribute to Society while Making Improvements at the Camp

(Center Moriches, NY) — With a new season beginning in a few months, Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck is currently undergoing a transformation that will be completed in time for the incoming campers and counselors. After Hurricane Sandy damaged both buildings and campgrounds, Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck needed all the help it could get, but was short on time and money.  Little did the camp know that help would come — in the form of a very unlikely source.

Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent DeMarco arranged to have a group of seven inmates from the Suffolk County Correctional Facility clean up Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck. They were brought to the camp when Bridget Costello, Director, Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck, came across a website describing the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Labor Assistance Program (S.L.A.P.) and put in a request to have a crew clean up debris after Hurricane Sandy. “I looked at the site, put in the request and got in touch with one of the officers at the program,” Ms. Costello said, adding she also needed approval from the camp’s Board of Directors, which she received. “The rest is history.”

In addition to cleaning up debris from the campgrounds, the inmates have painted and installed new cabinets and ventilation systems inside the dining hall; fixed up the walls and floors in the recreational building; and refurbished the bathrooms and replaced the flooring inside the Fuoco dormitory.

The inmates who participate in the program are non-violent offenders. Those who come to the camp are hand-picked. “Some are carpenters and some are plumbers,” said Sergeant Thomas Hoey of the Suffolk County Correctional Facility’s Vocational Training Unit. “They are a very talented group.”

One of the inmates has been working at the camp for three months. “I think it’s great,” he said of the program. “The corrections officers treat us really well, plus it’s good community service and it’s an excellent work-training opportunity. It really gives us the opportunity to help the camp and the children it serves. Some of the guys have certain skills; other guys don’t have the training so we learn from each other.”

The inmates will finish up on June 1 — just in time for the counselors to arrive from overseas and for the campers to check in later that month — and will return on September 1. Ms. Costello says, since they have been here, the inmates have formed a special bond with the camp. “Some of them said they would like to come back and help once they are released from prison,” she said. ”I hope this relationship can be forged into the future. The workmanship is superior; this is the ‘Extreme Makeover’ we never got. This will make believers out of the non-believers. It’s a win-win for all of us.”

Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck is a resident summer camp designed for young people ages 6-21 with special needs. Its mission is to help children and adults achieve equality, dignity, and maximum independence through a safe and quality program of camping, recreation, and education in a summertime environment. Throughout the program, campers participate in typical summer camp activities, such as arts and crafts, talent shows, cook-outs, swimming and boating.

For more information, call (631) 878-1070 or visit www.camppaquatuck.com.

CAPTION:

An inmate from Suffolk County Correctional Facility measures one of the doors to be placed on a cabinet in Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck’s dining hall.

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Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck was created by members of the Moriches Rotary Club in 1946. Located on the shores of Kaler’s Pond on eastern Long Island, Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck is funded entirely by donations and is a special place where children with physical and developmental disabilities can experience first hand the pleasures that an active life has to offer. Children participate in a wide range of activities especially designed for youngsters who are in wheelchairs as well as those who are ambulatory. These activities include swimming, boating, arts and crafts, petting zoo, talent shows, cook-outs, games and a Carnival Day. The program also provides educational activities in areas such as nature, arts, fire safety and communication skills.