[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13939]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       EXCEPTIONAL CITIZENS' WEEK

 Ms. AYOTTE. Madam President, I wish to recognize and 
congratulate the leadership and volunteers of New Hampshire's 
Exceptional Citizens', EC, Week at Camp Fatima as the program marks its 
60th year of providing continuous service to children and adult campers 
with special needs.
  Held every year at Camp Fatima on the picturesque Upper Suncook Lake 
in Gilmanton Iron Works, EC Week is a non-sectarian outdoor camp 
program sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Manchester. Attendance, 
which is free for campers, is funded by generous contributions from 
individuals and businesses. During EC Week, campers have the 
opportunity to participate in a variety of traditional camping 
activities, giving them a chance to enjoy the great outdoors and have 
some good old-fashioned summer fun.
  Borne of the idea that ``it would be great to allow these children 
the same camping experience as other kids,'' Bill Haller, president of 
The United Life and father of a child with Down syndrome; Dr. Tom 
Walker, a pediatrician at St. Paul's School; and the Rev. Richard O. 
Boner, associate pastor at St. John's Parish in Concord, who founded 
Camp Fatima for Boys, began work on this concept, starting EC Week in 
1954.
  As they set out to create an entertaining and rewarding camp 
experience, the program founders teamed up with student nurses from 
Sacred Heart Hospital in Manchester, a group of Sisters of Mercy, a 
group of Sisters of St. Francis, and seminarians from St. John's 
Seminary, in preparation for the camp's launch. The first year 25 boys 
and girls attended the camp.
  Since that first year, EC Week has grown immensely and now includes 
170 campers and more than 300 volunteers from around the country. It is 
a unique and special experience that is treasured by so many, and has 
served as a model for the creation of similar camps around the country.
  As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of EC Week next month, I want to 
commend the Diocese of Manchester and the EC Week staff and volunteers. 
Their hard work and dedication has brightened the lives of thousands of 
campers and allowed them to have exciting experiences they otherwise 
may never get to enjoy. I have no doubt this outstanding program will 
continue to benefit and delight campers for generations to 
come.

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