Despite the current bone chilling temperatures, the Department of Parks and Recreation is already making plans for summer programs. The key to a successful, fun-filled, Moorestown summer is local activities. The department makes recreation for everyone the №1 priority with the help of the organizations with which it collaborates. One of the department’s key community partners is the Sean Fischel Connect organization. While many Moorestonians know of Sean Fischel Connect, they may not be aware of the monumental impact this organization has had on our local community and activities available through the Department of Parks and Recreation.
For anyone who has ever had the pleasure of speaking with the Fischel family, it is immediately obvious that gratitude and faith play a huge part in their lives. After the tragic loss of their son Sean, the family chose to thank the community that had provided them so much support during Sean’s heroic struggle against his undetected illness, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Following his death in January 2013, the Fischels and their close friends hosted a run in his honor. The money raised from the run was beyond all expectations and the family decided that it needed to be shared with organizations that make a difference in the lives of children. The very first check Kimberly Fischel wrote was to the Moorestown Department of Parks and Recreation.
When asked why, Kimberly says simply, “It is so easy to give to the Department of Parks & Recreation. We know that 100 percent of the funds go to programs that serve the community and go to those who need it.”
The first donation went to provide Recreation Youth Soccer T-shirts to the growing youth soccer program. The next donation added WiFi for the Church Street Recreation Center. And then, Sean Fischel Connect made a decision to do even more to directly support those in need. In 2015 Sean Fischel Connect made the Recreation Special Needs Summer Camp a priority.
It was 2008 when the Recreation Special Needs Summer Camp began. The Department of Parks & Recreation received a grant from the Department of Community Affairs with 20 percent matching funds donated from Moorestown Township to help provide a consistent system of support for special needs children ages 5 to 12 and their families. As state funding began to shrink Community Partners like the Moorestown Education Foundation, Bayada Home Health Care and Quaker Wealth Management supported the program with donations. And then, when it seemed that the children who were aging out of the program would have nowhere to go, the Special Needs Camp expanded its ages with support from Sean Fischel Connect. The day camp, now in its eighth year, has grown to expand its services to children ages 5 to 21.
In January 2016, I watched Kimberly Fischel, with her natural grace and kindness, quietly hand Director Theresa Miller a check for $20,000 to ensure that these young people, and their families, would receive the support they need. Their 2016 donation will be directed to the Recreation Youth Soccer League, WiFi and the Special Needs Summer Camp. The Special Needs Summer Camp has become priority of Sean Fischel Connect’s donation to the Department of Parks and Recreation. The significance to Kimberly is simple — to provide services for children who are underserved or not covered by other services. To make sure that no child is denied access to a program that helps them grow and thrive. To make sure that all children in our community find support.
The department wishes to thank Sean Fischel Connect and all of the community partners that provide support to the Department, its residents and most importantly its children. For information about the Special Needs Summer Camp or other summer recreation programs, please visit www.moorestown.nj.us/253/Parks-Recreation.
