SAN ONOFRE, Calif.—
A special camp for teenagers with deployed military parents could be washed out because of money problems, organizers say.Each summer, the Rec FX Surf Camp in San Onofre helps teens cope with the stress of parental deployments for several weeks.
Emily Borm and her sister, daughters of an Army reservist, attended their first week of the camp this summer. They said they have already felt the positive effects of being together with other teens going through the same experience.
"(Friends) say they understand what we are going through, but they don't," Borm said. "To be with people in the same situation -- it feels comfortable."
The girls say that learning to surf builds gives them a challenge that helps build confidence.
"I fall all the time. You feel like you are going to drown sometimes when the waves are pushing you, but you learn to resist," Borm said.
"I'm kind of scared, I've never actually done anything like this," said Sarah Martinez, Borm's sister.
The program is free for qualifying teenagers, but the Arizona-based organization that runs the camp came up $150,000 short this year.
"A donor pulled out at the last minute," said Matt Augee, of Rec FX Surf Camps. "We understand because of the bad economy."
The organization is continuing to look for money to continue the program.
"Our rule is that we will never disappoint a military family. We have a commitment to these families, so we will use whatever resources we can to raise the money," Aguee said. "If we don't have it, the camps can't function properly."
For more information about the group or to make a donation, go to this website.
