Patty Camp

By AMY SCHWEITZER
Hub Staff Writer

WOOD RIVER - Although she has dressed like a scarecrow and put in dozens of hours on the phone for Farm Safety 4 Just Kids, Patty Camp knows it is worth it when she sees that the effort got through to a child.

Camp, the 2003 Freedom Award winner in the Agriculture Category, said she loves being involved.

In their nomination letter, the Bill Phipps family of Kearney said Camp is making the world a better place through her volunteer efforts.

"Patty makes sure that everything is well-organized, upbeat and exciting and that the kids have a great time," they said. "She is an inspiration to all of us."

As "Watch-It the Scarecrow" or "Cawshus the Crow," Camp talks to kids around central Nebraska about not playing on the grain wagon and wearing seatbelts even in tractors.

In preparation for the camp, she puts in 150 to 200 hours writing letters, making phone calls and on behind-the-scenes computer work, then uses her vacation and nights and weekends to talk to schools and set up the Farm Safety 4 Just Kids Camp.

The farm safety camp she has helped conduct every year in Wood River for eight years is about more than just safety around the farm.

"The kids gain a wealth of safety knowledge about such things as tractors, chemicals, lawn mowers, animal safety and grain safety," the Phippses said in their letter.

More than 150 young people come to the Farm Safety camp every year. Many of them attended yearly for the past eight years, so Camp tries to have a different topic each year.

"Kids never really see the same thing," Camp said. "It is to promote awareness not just on the farms but in the urban areas as well. We try to change behaviors on how you perform tasks and if you are age appropriate."

She got started in farm safety when Cargill, where she has worked for about 25 years as a customer service spe-cialist, agreed to start up a Farm Safety 4 Just Kids chapter at every one of its facilities.

"They know I'm just a sucker when it's for kids," Camp said with a laugh. "Since then, the whole thing has taken over me because it's so important to me and seems to be important to our community."

Not all of the chapters caught on, but the Platte Valley Chapter at the Shelton Cargill office has grown, Most of the growth seems to be because of Camp's enthusiasm for the program.

Camp almost seems to bubble when she talks about her volunteer work and the children she has touched.

"I just love the kids. If you instill that awareness in just one child, you can touch a whole family," she said. "I tell kids that they are teachers. Younger siblings that watch them are learning, good or bad. You can see them get en-thused and become more responsible."

Camp told of a mother who said a little boy came home from camp and assembled his toy gravity wagon, Lego man and a pile of sand on the dining room table to teach his little brother why he shouldn't play in the wagon.

The mother said that she understood that an important lesson was going on and bit her tongue about the mess.

Camp is often seen about every place where kids are involved.

She speaks to high school FFA and FBLA chapters as a businesswoman as well as about farm safety. She gives a puppet show to preschoolers to teach animal safety.

She also is involved with the Nebraska Coalition for Seat Belt Usage, Wood River Music Boosters, and is active at the United Methodist church and youth program.

"I'm always doing something," she said with a big smile. "There's not much time I sit."

Camp helps decorate a farm safety float every summer for the Wood River Fun Fest and goes to grade schools in September during Farm Safety and Health Week.

"Everyone learns, because even the little ones have their parents read them the booklets, and I've had parents tell me that they never knew they weren't supposed to let their children ride on the tractor with them," she said.

Camp attended not only the National Farm Safety Leadership Conference in Iowa but got to tell Washington, D.C., about the farm safety cause.

"I was very nervous, but they seemed to very interested in what we had to say," she said. "It was a rare opportu-nity I will never forget."

The chapter was awarded the Spirit Award for exemplary service from Farm Safety 4 Just Kids, and Camp was just notified that the Platte Valley Chapter of Farm Safety 4 Just Kids was named chapter of the year of 143 chap-ters nationwide.

Camp said she is surprised and honored to receive the Freedom Award.

"I know there are a lot of people out there who do so much. Every award from the hand-drawn thank yous from the day care to going to the White House all mean so much to me. They are each very personal to me."

Camp said she does so much because, "I'm very community involved, and if I'm given a challenge I want it to be successful. And I know we are making a difference."

In her rare spare time, she likes to do wood crafts, landscape her yard, make supper for housebound neighbors, and she and her husband, Gary, watch their son, Ryan, 16, compete in high school speech and one-act play compe-titions.

But she says with a smile, "Being involved is my hobby."



e-mail to:
amy.schweitzer@kearneyhub.com