Skyscrapers Holds Star Party for “Gabrielle's Heart Camp” at Cub World
by Tracy Prell
Our Public Outreach Coordinator Francine Jackson was contacted by one of the staff members of the Gabrielle's Heart Camp. He asked her if she could arrange a Skyscrapers “Star Party” on Wednesday, Aug 17th, 2016 for about 50-75 children that were born with congenital heart defects.
Francine informed him that she would contact our members to see if she could assemble enough people to volunteer on that day for a star party and she would get back to him.
Prior to the event at one of our executive board meetings, Francine talked about the request from the camp staff member and asked if anyone would like to attend. Myself, Steve Siok, and Jim Henderson said we would love to attend!
Let me tell you a little bit more about this wonderful organization.
Gabrielle's Heart Camp provides several days of fun and activities for kids within their medical restrictions. The kids are able to share their experiences and feelings with other children that have similar issues building a lifelong support network. They form a special friendship where each child watches out for the other.
This event is held every August at Cub World in Burrillville, RI and is staffed with medical professionals such as; Dr. Lloyd Feit, Pediatric Cardiologist, Hasbro Childrenís Hospital; Dr. Nathan Beraha, Pediatric Cardiologist, office in Lincoln, RI; Dr. Seth Lapuk, Pediatric Cardiologist, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center; and Dr. Carolina Cerezo, Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Hasbro Children’s Hospital Feeding Team.
Steve Siok, Jim Hendrickson, myself and of course our own “Lady of the Constellations” Francine Jackson were prepared to put on a great “Star Party for these deserving kids!
I refer to Francine as the “Lady of the Constellations” because of her great breadth and wisdom of these intriguing and beautiful stars along with the many mythical stories that surround them.
Francine had been checking the weather forecast for that area a few days before the event. She also checked the weather before we left our homes. The weather looked promising and we were all looking forward to having a clear evening for the children to view the Moon. But unfortunately Rhode Island’s weather can change from one hour to the next.
When we arrived, the weather was not looking very good. We were thinking the clouds would clear out soon so the kids could look through our telescopes and cameras to enjoy our closest celestial body...the Moon! Our optimism prevailed and we decided to setup up our equipment and hoped for the best! We were quite surprised that a staff member from the camp even brought his own telescope and tripod...hey the more the merrier!
Well the weather became a real disappointment and the moon was behind a thick blanket of never ending clouds, but that did not dampen our spirits! The children gathered around in a large semi-circle in wide open field where our telescopes and cameras were setup. The kids were really amazed at seeing several different types of “Real” telescopes like Jim Hendrickson's Refractor, Francine’s red tabletop Astroscan and the Dobsonian telescope that Steve Siok had setup. They were also interested in my Canon camera with a 200mm f/2.8 lens sitting upon a tripod as well.
To make the best of it, we decided to have a question and answer session for the kids. Both Francine and Steve were answering many of the questions fielded by the children. Some of those questions were; “What effect does the Moon have on the Earth? Is Saturn the only planet with rings?
Not only did we receive questions from the children but the medical staff as well. The question and answer session lasted for about 1 1/2 hrs.
We all enjoyed seeing the excitement and enthusiasm on the faces of so many children and young adults. It’s a shame that the weather did not cooperate for us that night, but everyone sure had a wonderful time. I know we’ve captured and ignited the interest of many children in the Science of Astronomy. STEM Education is what it’s all about helping to build a better future for our children and humanity through Science.
We would certainly appreciate more volunteers from our organization donating a few hours of our time and equipment to assist in the Skyscrapers public outreach program. By doing so, you can help make a positive impact in a child’s life and have fun doing it at the same time! Thank you!
To learn more about Gabrielle's Heart Camp, you can visit their website at: http://heartandhopefund.com/our-events/gabrielles-heart-camp/ They also have social media sites on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/HeartandHopeFund/ and Twitter at: https://twitter.com/hearthopefund
