West Penn Burn Camp provides support, fun for pediatric burn patients
FOMBELL — On a hot Monday afternoon, after dutifully taking their swimming tests, just over a dozen kids lined up eagerly to rocket down the pool slide and jump into the pool at Camp Kon-O-Kwee just over the county line in Beaver County.
As participants at Allegheny Health Network West Penn Hospital’s Burn Center summer camp, the children, all of whom have previously been treated for burn injuries, had the chance to spend a week having fun with their peers and gaining mentorship in a safe environment.
The five-day Burn Camp, typically held during the first week of June, is organized and hosted by volunteers, AHN staff and former campers who return to serve as counselors. Patients aged 7-17 who were treated at the Burn Center in Pittsburgh, who can range from as far away as State College, Ohio, and West Virginia, are invited to the camp each year.
Held regularly for the past 35 years, the 2022 iteration of the camp is the first in-person version since the beginning of the pandemic.
A portion of this story is shared with you as a digital media exclusive. To read the full story and support our local, independent newsroom, please subscribe at butlereagle.com.
