CONSCIENTIOUS & COMING FORWARD

Elena Matyas stands at the front gate looking toward the pool where her daughter Roxie drowned. (Photo: Doug Forbes)

By Elena Matyas

Former Summerkids employees have reached out to us, and we are listening.

What we suspected and feared, has been confirmed.  A lassiez-faire culture where the number one rule to have “fun” outweighed concerns for children’s safety and well-being. For decades.

We have heard of Summerkids counselors hung over while caring for dozens of children after late night booze and drug parties, “no more than 2 lifeguards at the pool” while children were “shoulder to shoulder,” counselor/lifeguards who were uneasy about the number of kids they were responsible for and “cram sessions” instead of proper, vigilant training programs.

This is Summerkids. Cutting corners to please themselves and to save money at the expense of children.

Weeks after Roxie’s death, another child was rushed by ambulance from Summerkids to Huntington Hospital. Did Cara DiMassa or the DiMassa family tell anyone? Did parents know the truth? Two serious injuries and a little girl—our girl—who was killed…all in one calendar year. One…calendar…year.

This tears at our souls. How could we have entrusted Roxie’s care to these people? And parents, please, please reach out to us. We promise to be fully transparent.

We learned in the most difficult of ways that California law does not mandate regulation of day camps. Although there are responsible camp operators who proactively obtain licenses from the department of health, the majority of operators are not as mindful and exploit loopholes to function under the radar. It breaks our hearts.

We launched Meow Meow Foundation as a means to raise awareness and mandate regulations to protect children. We know our work has already saved lives—people have told us as much. We meet with government agencies who are taking note of reckless camp owners and taking action. Parents are asking questions and doing their diligence before sending off their precious cargo. ANd now we are hearing from insiders who are gravely concerned and demand change.

This is progress. But we have mountains of work to do.

We are so very thankful for those of you who have courageously and selflessly reached out, shared your stories, expressed your support and honored Roxie and every other child who has been injured, physically or emotionally, at a camp. We encourage others to come forward, share their stories and help us in our relentless fight to raise awareness and afford children the protections they deserve.

Note that we have a PO Box if you prefer to remain anonymous.

We will not let Roxie down. We will not let you down.