Earlier this month, Robert Letich, administrator of Camden Care Center, called to say there was something he needed to talk over.  Now, this usually means some type of crisis, so I got my pen ready to take some notes and said, “OK, how can we help?”

“I’m taking my residents on a cruise.”  And he is; in fact, it will be a four-day, three-night cruise of the Bahamas.

The idea for this trip began in January, when Bob had just returned from a trip.  The residents asked him, “When do we get to go on vacation?” and he replied, “Where would you want to go?”  They came up with a few options, like New York City, Las Vegas, and Branson.  However, the more he thought about it, he realized the ideal vacation for the group would be a cruise.

The trip is available to all residents who are medically stable and able to move from wheelchair to bed with the assistance of two staff members.  Most have limited finances and rely on Medical Assistance, so donations from vendors and others, along with fundraising activities, are paying for the cruise for the residents and the staff who will accompany them. (The cabins are not equipped with call buttons, so staff members will make rounds every five minutes from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.)

So they began planning, and the excitement over the cruise has continued to build.  Every Thursday there is a “cruise-planning” meeting, and even residents who are not able go due to medical conditions are caught up in the excitement.  Of the 27 residents who are able to go, here’s a sampling of what they are saying:

“I look forward to seeing the stars over the ocean.  I remember seeing them over the troop ship, and man-oh-man they were really something.”

“I keep dreaming about the cruise.  It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“It’s a chance to be Cinderella for a night” (in reference to the formal night on the cruise).

Bob also contacted Warren Wolfe, reporter for the Star Tribune, to let him know about the adventure – knowing full well that this great human interest story could backfire.  It didn’t.  You can read the story in Thursday’s Star Tribune by clicking here:  http://www.startribune.com/local/105402308.html?page=1&c=y.

Lisa Foss Olson
952.851.2483
lolson@careproviders.org

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