Everyone's favorite safety camp and kids' fun fair, Camp Bandage – Grand Lake is an off-shoot of Camp Bandage - Broken Arrow, which was started in 1983 by Dr. A.L. Gerner and his wife, Shirley. Camp Bandage was designed as an annual one-day event to educate the community about how common accidents and injuries can be prevented.
For more than 35 years, business and organizations across the community have come together each year to teach children everything from injury prevention, first aid and CPR to bike, water, fire and home safety.
Each year, the Broken Arrow Police and Fire departments simulate responding to a car accident in order to educate the community on how emergency responders work together.
Over the years, the Broken Arrow event has grown and expanded its focus to include all aspects of safety and disaster preparedness. Camp Bandage – Grand Lake is an extension of that growth.
Free and open to the public, the safety camp and kids' fun fair kicks off summer fun for kids on Grand Lake. A number of groups and organizations across the Grand Lake community are on-hand to educate children and demonstrate a wide variety of safety topics.
In addition to being available for children to meet and interact with during the event, Grand Lake area law enforcement members and first responders also present a mock car crash demonstration each year.
Camp Bandage – Grand Lake is organized by Grand Nation, a nonprofit grassroots coalition serving Grand Lake since 2012.
"A community outreach project of this magnitude fits right in with our existing substance abuse prevention program, GaDuGi," said Jennifer Hinson, Grand Nation executive director.
"For instance, we're trying to promote Responsible Recreation on the lake. Camp Bandage – Grand Lake teaches kids about being safe on the water, as well as being safe at home. It's an obvious platform where we could impact hundreds of kids in one day. This was an opportunity we didn't want to pass up."
Camp Bandage – Grand Lake focuses on safety awareness and educational activities. It is hosted by Grand Lake RV Resort at 31527 South 4510 Road, Afton, Okla., on Duck Creek on Grand Lake O' the Cherokees.
"Camp Bandage is an awesome safety program for kids with lots of activities for learning," said Dianna McIntyre, owner and operator of Grand Lake RV Resort. "We thoroughly enjoy it and think it's a wonderful experience."
From admission and prizes to hot dogs and drinks, everything is free at Camp Bandage – Grand Lake thanks to the generosity of sponsors.
If you would like to attend Camp Bandage – Grand Lake, be a vendor or volunteer at the event, visit the website or the Grand Lake Camp Bandage Facebook page for more information.
ABOUT GRAND NATION
Grand Nation is a nonprofit grassroots coalition that has been serving the Grand Lake area since 2012. An umbrella organization for a number of different programs, Grand Nation joins families seeking a better life with the resources and community organizations that can help them achieve their goal. Located at 123 S. Wilson, in Vinita, Grand Nation serves the communities of Grand Lake O the Cherokees, including Vinita, Grove, Jay, Afton, Ketchum, Langley, Miami, Bluejacket and Spavinaw. The phone number is (918) 276-2192.
