Why My Children Will Never Go To Camp…
July 22, 2007 by Mommy Zabs
Filed under Blogging, Children
Camp Counselor Accused Of Sexually Abusing Several Children
NEW LEXINGTON, Ohio — A camp counselor is suspected of sexually abusing several children, according to a report filed with Perry County authorities.The Perry County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint Thursday from the Scioto Youth Camp in Junction City alleging volunteer Timmy S. Keil, of Lancaster, had inappropriately touched a child. A fellow counselor told authorities he found Keil and a child together on a bunk, NewsChannel5 partner ONN reported. (read more.)
Yuck. Yuck. Sick. Angry.
At this point in my life I can not imagine sending my young child out of my care for an extended period of time. Especially in a world where pedophilia is growing. (Is it due to the internet accessibility?) Watch one episode of Dateline NBC and you will see men from every walk of life, race, and social status eager to pervert our young. Doesn’t it seem that camp would be a magnet for these types? No judgment for those of you whose children skip happily away to camp, however the topic should be considered.
My father used to go away to camp for weeks at a time and never saw harm. I went to a few week-long camps over my childhood and never found trouble. Will the tradition of camp have to become stories from the past?
I’m not willing to risk the innocence of my children. I prefer the idea of knowing where they are, who they are with, and what they are up to. I can’t guard them for their entire life, but while they are young I have to do what I can.
What do you think?
joy on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 1:00 am
I went to camp from 6 years old on until I was 18. I never had any trouble! If I had a camp I trusted (I went to our denominations camp my whole life) I’d send my kids.
That is great Joy. This camp was a Christian camp… I wish I had that type of trust in anything… but sadly at this point I don’t.
LayGuy on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 1:58 am
Yeah this type of thing happens all the time. A reminder of the sick reality we live in.
In Australia, anyone who deals with children now have to complete a “working with children” form. Applicants are security screened before they are allowed to work.
Problem is, how many of these people have simply not been caught yet? No checks would identify them until they have done something wrong.
Yes there seem to be many more predators than have been caught. Apparently this guy had been a volunteer at camps all over the state.
Defiant_Infidel on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 6:13 am
Interesting… and I agree. I was just having this conversation yesterday with my own mother. The prevalence of predators being attracted to the children rich environment is a disturbing reality, but as children we were never allowed to go to camp of any type due to my parents never trusting others to properly insure our well being… period. This meant in all and any aspects, not just the opportunity to encounter pedophiles. And she did mention that it was plenty common for pedo’s to be associated with summer camps back in those days as well (60’s). Evil has always been at our side, we just have 24 hours news now to call attention to it. In this vein, that is a good thing.
It is good to have that perspective from your mother.
Amber(Homeschooldiva) on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 7:48 am
I am with you on this one….They will also never spend the night elswhere ether. They can have firends over if they want, but they will not leave our home to sleep elsewhere. Grandma and Grandpa is it!
JJ and I have thought we will probably do that too. That is my brother’s policy because even if they have a couple they trust it looks bad to say one couple is okay and another is not, so they just keep it to family.
Wendy on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 8:27 am
Scary! I’ve had the same thoughts. We have a church camp close by that a lot of kids from our church go to, but that doesn’t make it safe either.
Yes very true.
Wendy on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 8:28 am
By the way, I’m going to have to try the recipes you posted. Thanks!
Let me know how you like them!
Neil on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 8:42 am
I’m not sure when the researchers will be able to prove or disprove this, but it seems that with the Internet’s explosion of pornography there will be major impacts to society. And this will be one of them.
amanda on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 9:12 am
My children do go to our church camps. My youngest just completed his last year of elementary camp. To “protect” them as best I can, I’ve always gone as camp counselor. My daughter was always in my cabin. My son was in the cabin of a trusted friend as counselor with me within feet of him.
My daughter has now gone to Jr. High camp for two years without me. I’ve always requested her to be with specific counselors that I would trust with my life, and with the protection of my daughter.
I would not send my kids to a camp in which I did not know or trust the counselors. Our church has always been very careful to only send those that have a rich background of selfless service and a life of authentic Christianity. I have always made it a point to know the other adults and the friends in their lives as well as possible. I would not allow my kids to go home with many of their friends, although they are always welcome to our home with our supervision. The other adults in their lives are few and are trusted.
Our church has done a great job of screening and watching all the volunteers they use. It is a temptation at times to let down my protective guard, but I have not yielded to that temptation yet and don’t plan to. We must be ever vigilant to protect our children.
amanda
Thanks Amanda, This sounds like a really great compromise. I like the idea of being in the same cabin. I will have to consider this when my children are older.
t.y. on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 1:08 pm
oh, this is such a sad story.
i have known several people personally who as children were abused sexually while in the care of friends of the family, teacher figures, pastors etc. and i am sorry to say that they were all christians too.
this is a tough one. i also know a lot of people who were completely sheltered as kids, growing up in homes that forbade a lot of things. and this was really detrimental to them in so many ways. many people leaving the faith altogether.
of course, there are no hard and fast answers for these big questions. each family structure works in a way that fits its unique personality.
but, my gut tells me that there is a place of balance– protection along with letting go. and of course there is the prayer that the home life is stable and good and open and that when kids feel secure within that structure, it spills out into the world and into their relationships. and ultimately for the good of God’s kingdom too.
but, it’s so hard. the letting go with the protecting. i am always struggling to strike that balance.
I hope there is a place of balance, but I will definitely err on the safe side if I cannot find it.
momlovesbeingathome on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 4:07 pm
For me, pretty much ditto what Amanda said. My kids have gone to church camp but most of the times my husband or I went as well. The only reason I ever let them go was because either we were there or I knew their counselor very well and trusted them. I hear of all kinds of camps that they have for kids and they sound neat but I would never send my kids somewhere if I didn’t go or know the people running it VERY well. It’s just too dangerous - just as your post says!
That makes sense, it is good to learn from you wise mommies with older children!
pinks & blues girls on Mon, 23rd Jul 2007 4:49 pm
It’s so scary that these people are able to fool people into hiring them, getting closer to their targets. I never went to camp as a child, and I wouldn’t send my children either, especially the way the world is right now with pedophiles running rampant. So sad.
Jane, P&B Girls
Very scary, it is so important these guys get a record if they ever offend so that others can’t be hurt.
misi on Tue, 24th Jul 2007 9:11 am
I am w/ you with 100%Zabs. I personally will not let my kids stay overnight w/ anyone but family either. I have a cousin who was molested when she was 10 and is now 13 still struggling. She cuts herself to feel the pain etc. It is a horrible thing and to sound like an extreme parent to others is fine w me if I can avoid the latter.
I’m so very sorry to hear about your cousin. Very Sad.
christianmommy on Wed, 25th Jul 2007 6:33 pm
Ironically, I know this guy from mutual work related activities and have been following this story. If you ask anyone he works with about this, they will probably say they are disgusted, but not surprised. His students would say the same (and yes, he does hold a full time professorship at a Christian Univeristy…no matter what their president might say. He works with the 18-21 year olds during the day classes and also does some teaching in the evening with the adults).
He immediately gives off signals that made me feel uneasy…I didn’t know if it was because I am a mother, or because I am a woman. When I first met him, he insisted that we all call him “Timmy”. Not “Tim” or “Timothy”. That should have clued me in that it was my “mommy senses” going hay-wire. He has degrees in family studies but teaches english comp classes.
As far as his character and his stablility, all you have to do is read his myspace to get a clue into his psyche. Also, anyone who writes a four minute speech for the media, reads it to them, and then agrees to be interviewed is unstable. Did he really think they would air all of his four minute presentation? He seems very unstable, self involved, and appreciating the attention.
Also, there’s really no trick into him getting hired. He told the schools and camps that he was a Christian, spouted a few memorized scripture verses, presented his long list of “Christian service duties” and ta-da, he was hired. One only need look at the fact that his degree is in family studies and he’s teaching english comp to realize that hiring practices there are not too stringent (dispite the fact that he taught english at other colleges…they should have had higher “university” standards).
His future, is probably jail…or at least it should be. Sadly, in the Christian community, we often focus too much on grace rather than truth. We need to understand that Jesus came in grace AND truth. Together. Sexual assult is wrong at any age. But, it’s horrific for children.
Church camp can be a wonderful blessing for so many children. It’s sad to see this type of thing happen in a place where comfort and support should be found. I agree that pornography on the web is certainly an issue. However, if this is looked at realistically, this has been a problem long before internet access…it’s just that now more children are willing to come forward.
Wise church camps NEVER allow a counselor to be alone with campers. This is usually the golden rule of thumb. Anytime a person is alone with a camper, their priveleges to be a counselor were immediately revoked and they were sent home, never to return again. I not only blame the attacker, but the camp itself for not enforcing more strict rules of behavior.
SJR on Tue, 11th Sep 2007 1:56 pm
I went to the Scioto Youth Camp all of my childhood. NEVER, did anything like this happen. Sadly, that was a long time ago…I am now in my 40’s. My parent’s met at this same camp in the 50’s. It is a free-will camp. All of the staff are volunteers. They do not charge children to attend this camp. The law states that only camps that have a CONSECUTIVE of four weeks or more are required to do background checks. My uncle, who is on the camp board, has never been required to do these checks because of OUR laws. He was also informed by a different church that they had already done a background check. There was no reason for them to suspect anything out of the ordinary with this guy. I feel that because of the increased prevalence of these sick individuals in our society, ALL camps, consecutive or not, should be required to do background checks, our camp included. At camps where they rely heavily on volunteers, it is almost virtually impossible to have enough counselors where there is more than one counselor with all children. Most people who work at these types of camps are honest, loving Christians; however, what happened at Scioto Youth Camp should be a lesson to us all. When is our government going to get the point? We NEED a national data base that keeps the public informed of said such predators, and we NEED these people to be monitored FOREVER…not just a few years.I agree with my uncle…it is truly sad that this incident happened at our camp, but his getting caught stopped him from going on to another camp. It could’ve happened at any facility or camp where this guy was involved with children. It just happened to be our camp where he was caught. It makes us all sick. God bless all of the volunteers in our nation who ARE Christians that work with our youth, and by the way, this happens in doctor’s and dentist’s offices and schools as well, not just in churches or youth camps.
Michael on Wed, 1st Jul 2009 7:50 pm
Myself was born and raised in Bremen ohio, and when I was old enought I went to Scioto youth as a camper. You never heard of this stuff going on at that time, and we really had a great time serving the lord.
When we got older we served as church leaders for the young ones, and it was a great time, I knew Herbert Householder the founder of the camp cause I went to Avalon church where Herby was the preacher at Avalon church
And for this man to put dirt in our face plus our children is WHY!!! did you think that good people would let you do this,shame on you.
Carl Morgan is the man in charge of the camp and has been since I went thier and no nosence has ever went on thier at all, his rule was to have fun and to serve the Lord.
I will have fond memories of the Scioto youth camp grounds, the times I served and the times my children went to the camp grounds and had the same feelings as I did as a child.
To me it only takes one bad apple to spoil it, and he did in a way but, God dealt with it in his own way. thank you vevy much
Michael