On Mar 31, 2023 Shalon Bogard and her three children Kristofer (12), Kartier (10) and Kassidy (7) were all at home.  Shalon was aware of the storm that was moving through Little Rock but as she looked outside she didn’t notice much at first.  Then the wind started to pick up and they took shelter until the storm passed.  “We were very fortunate as we didn’t lose anything, we had some light wind damage but much less than others in the neighborhood.”

The grocery store they normally shopped at was completely destroyed.  They knew someone that was in the store as the storm came through.  Shalon recalls the first time Kris, Kartier and Kassidy saw the severe damage that the storm caused so close to their home.  “The kids have their moments of fear.  The first time we drove down Shackleford it caught them off guard.  They noticed children’s toys and baby toys out in the street and they had a lot of questions about what was going to happen to the people that lived in the destroyed homes.”

Shalon and her children attend St. John Missionary Baptist Church and Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church where she learned about the Camp Noah program that Ferncliff was offering in partnership with Westover Presbyterian Church.  Camp Noah is a free day camp that uses the Noah story of recovering from the great flood to help children process their trauma from experiencing disasters.  Shalon thought it would be something fun for them to do and could be helpful to them so she signed them up.  

Kassidy is the youngest of the three and is full of personality.  She is very friendly and doesn’t know a stranger so she really loved Camp Noah.  Kartier is very athletic so she enjoyed all the activities at camp.  Kristofer, the eldest, is a natural leader who loves science and art.  His younger siblings look up to him a lot.  He is involved in lots of school activities so he was excited to just get to be a kid and have fun.

Shalon’s children also all got to spend a week this summer at Ferncliff thanks to a grant from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.  Kartier and Kristofer came to an overnight camp and Kassidy came to a day camp.  The kids were excited to see the Ferncliff staff that they bonded with during the Camp Noah program earlier in the summer when they arrived at camp.  Shalon believes that the Camp Noah experience and the Ferncliff camp experience helped her kids recover from the trauma of the storm and expand their independence.

Kris, Kartier and Kassidy are back in school this fall and doing well.  They keep a busy schedule with all that they are involved in and Kristofer recently won an essay contest that provided a trip for his family.

“I get a little emotional when I think about the tornado.  We still see the tops of the houses in our neighborhood covered in blue tarps and it’s a reminder that we are so fortunate to have had the tornadoes so close to home but all be ok. I still have some concerns when storms come through.  I get scared of the trees being blown down.   I see what I feel affecting the kids.  But the kids help me stay calm by giving me hugs and reminding me to pray.”

The Camp Noah program was offered free to any families in Little Rock whose home or neighborhood were affected by the spring tornadoes.  It was supported by Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, The Center’s for Disaster Philanthropy, The Presbytery of Arkansas, Westover Hills Presbyterian Church and Ferncliff.  Ferncliff could not offer our camp programs and programs like Camp Noah to kids like Kris, Kartier and Kassidy without the financial support from our donors.  Thank you for your gifts that allow Ferncliff to give kids and families what they need to build resiliency after going through a traumatic experience like the tornadoes that came through Little Rock earlier this year.

Give to support camps that help victims of disasters here.