By Gretchen Keiser

As the opening date, June 8, nears, staff and plans for three day camps at St. Anthony’s, St. Paul of the Cross and Sts. Peter and Paul are coming together.

A joint meeting for the full-time staff of all three centers was held last Saturday at the Catholic Center. The coordinators are Merline Todd and Karen Stroud at St. Paul o f the Cross, Rosina Seydel at St. Anthony’s and Alyse Holland at Sts. Peter and Paul. Each site should have at least six full-time workers, in addition to the volunteers who will be coming to work, according to Sister Margaret McAnoy, who is coordinating the Camp Promise program for the archdiocese.

Among the developments and needs surrounding the program are:

• A van is needed for each of the three sites, to provide daily transportation. “Even if people know of vans we could rent inexpensively, that would be great,” said Sister Margaret. The smaller, 15-seat type of vehicle is what is needed. A contract has been worked out to provide inexpensive use of MARTA buses for field trips, thanks to the help of a Sts. Peter and Paul parishioner.
• Housing is needed to provide a home away from home for college students coming from Virginia and South Carolina to work at the camps. The students, about 40, have been attracted through the work of sisters at their Newman Centers, who talked about the program. The students are coming for at least two weeks. Anyone able to house a student should contact Sister Margaret at 881-1419.
• About 45 sisters, coming from out of town, will be taken in at convents and residences of sisters in the Archdiocese, who have opened their doors to those helping at the camps.
• A number of parishes have asked to work with a specific day camp, clustering volunteer, prayer and financial support. Among them are the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, with St. Anthony’s camp, Holy Family parish in Marietta with St. Paul of the Cross camp and the Cathedral of Christ the King with St. Anthony’s Camp.
• The camps will vary in size with St. Paul of the Cross, the largest, expected to serve between 300 and 350 children. St. Anthony’s will serve about 150 children and Sts. Peter and Paul in Decatur about 250 children.