Earlier in the fall, Local 648 and American Water held a fundraiser for Camp Freedom, an adventure camp for disabled veterans, first responders and Gold Star families. The 1,800-acre camp is located in Northeast Pennsylvania, near where Local 648 members live and work. It provides hunting, shooting sports, fishing, camping, hiking, biking, and other year-round outdoor activities, aimed at taking individuals from clinical settings and placing them into the healing environment of the outdoors and nature. It also promotes the social well-being of participants through peer-to-peer interaction, camaraderie, and outdoor adventures.
Funds were raised through a sponsored walk held at Lake Scranton in September. Local 648 President Ed Kastreva said he’s grateful to the Local 648 Safety Committee for spearheading the effort. Committee Chair Curtis Lamoreaux came up with the goal of raising funds for Camp Freedom, and the peer-to-peer committee worked to figure out how to do it. Once the committee settled on a sponsored walk, things took off.
The walk raised just over $3,000 for Camp Freedom. “The peer-to-peer committee is constantly working to improve safety. That they took time to do this goes above and beyond. I’m so thankful to them and to all who gave their time and money to participate,” said Kastreva.