Jeep Jammin for the Hoosier Burn Camp
The community is invited to the annual “Jeep Jammin’ for the Camp” at Foster Park from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 8 for an evening of Jeeps (or any vehicle you drive), food and live music from Los Colognes.
Following a trip to help transport a child to The Hoosier Burn Camp located in Battle Creek, Indiana, firefighter Scott McKay along with Chiefs Scott Calhoun and Kevin Cox were met with something they don’t normally get, closure.
Photo Provided | Scott McKay
The Hoosier Burn Camp is a fee-free camp that provides trips and camps for survivors of severe burn injuries helping promote emotional and physical healing, not only to the survivors but to the first responder community.
“The Burn Camp really establishes the closure for the firefighters. You get to see beyond the injury, you can witness the healing,” said McKay.
“We have some children who have had two, three, four reconstructive surgeries after a burn injury, but there’s some who have 60 or 70 surgeries prior to turning 18,” said Mark Koopman, Executive Director of Hoosier Burn Camp. An important part of the camp’s mission is providing consistency to the people it serves including multiple camps and trips a year.
“With any trauma or any relationship, you can’t gather once and everything is solved. Continuity is extremely important,” said Koopman.
$25 gets you a parking spot for an up close and personal view of the Kokomo Performing Arts Pavilion where Nashville-based band Los Colognes will take the stage for a special edition of the Summer Concert Series.
“Instead of a drive-in movie, it’s a drive-in concert,” said McKay, who credits the success of the event to the businesses and organizations that are involved.
Photo Provided | Scott McKay
“The city has been such a big help, they are letting it be part of the Summer Concert Series.”
The Coterie will have a Beer Garden, Barkers B&K will be there with strawberry shortcakes and HomeTeam Ice Cream Truck.
“We always try to keep it as local as possible, while blending in the Jeep layer. I’ve had Jeeps my whole life and wanted to use the Jeep community for the good of a cause,” said McKay.
Now in its fourth year, McKay hopes to keep this event running as long as there’s interest from the community.
“Every year after the event it’s gotten a little bit bigger, as long as I can get a couple-hundred cars in the park to hang out, it will keep going on.”
Click for more information on this event and the Hoosier Burn Camp.