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11,000 children are currently in the Washington State foster care
systems. Seven Royal Family Kids Camps in Western Washington are able to
serve only 400 each year.
***
In his book,
Cry Out,
Dr. Phil Quinn writes: “My only reason for recounting these (his)
experiences is an attempt to
cry out for mercy and compassion
on behalf of the thousands of children in our country who even today
experience the misery of abuse in their childhood years - years in which
children, muted and helpless, suffer within the prison of their endless,
living nightmares.*
“Peter had withdrawn into himself, behind a protective shield of
passive indifference to all about him; a private world where he could
survive, alone, as he attempted to adjust and understand. Only the pain
remained the same. Survival meant controlling the pain.”
*
***
It’s
for little children like Peter we are building Camp SeaStar.
*P.E. Quinn, Cry Out!,
1984, 2004, Abingdon Press, Nashville
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84% of abused children are
maltreated by a parent or parents; 41% are abused by just their mother,
19% by both parents.
National Clearinghouse on Child
Abuse
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After visiting
camp, Judy Wilcott, Community Resource Program Manager, Washington
Department of Social and Health Services wrote:
"The day
reinforced for me how valuable this camp experience is for the children
as you thoughtfully and cheerfully provided a safe, fun getaway for
them."
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