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Camp Ho Mita Koda Receives an "Extreme Makeover"

More than 600 local GE Consumer & Industrial employees put down their pens and rolled up their sleeves on Wednesday, May 17, 2006, for a full day of reconstruction, painting, landscaping, repairing plumbing, and MUCH more, at Camp Ho Mita Koda in Newbury.

The project was part of United Way of Greater Cleveland’s Day of Caring event and was one of GE's annual Global Community Days, in which thousands of GE employees from around the world participate in service projects that cover a variety of local, educational, human service and environmental issues. In 2005, more than 20,000 GE people participated in more than 300 service projects in 50 countries around the world.

Camp Ho Mita Koda was chosen as the local site for this project through the efforts of two GE employees, Steve Briggs, Manager, Lighting Products, and Anne Harmody, National Accounts Manager, who both have young children with diabetes. Steve Briggs’, son, Colin, attends the camp. Both the Harmody family and the Briggs family have been active supporters of DAGC’s Swim for Diabetes as well.

For several months prior to May 17th, volunteers from GE identified projects, planned resources, and purchased the necessary materials. In total, GE donated an estimated $100,000 in materials, supplies, and contract work and secured an additional $40,000 in donations of supplies and construction materials from local companies, including ICI Paints, The Albert M. Higley Co., Eurest Dining Services and Timan Custom Window Treatments. In addition, GE donated $5,000 to Camp Ho Mita Koda’s campership fund and more than 4,800 in employee volunteer hours.

A sampling of the many projects undertaken by the GE volunteers includes:

• Renovated the Art & Crafts Building including new windows, plumbing, painting the interior and exterior.
• Refurbished the staff cabins.
• Renovated the bath house including adding new fixtures, cement repair, interior painting and new gutters.
• Installed new light fixtures throughout the Camp.
• Updated the Great Hall including installing new floors, painting the dispensary, painting the dining hall, masonry and landscaping the front of the building.
• Built a new barn.
• Installed new roofs on the cook’s cabin, director’s cabin, theatre building, and outdoor kitchen.
• Landscaped the entire Camp.
• Extensive trenching and new pipes to improve drainage.
• Restored several original camp buildings (Dollhouse, Gingerbread House, Theatre Building and Outdoor Kitchen).

Camp Ho Mita Koda extends its heartfelt gratitude to GE for this amazing project, which will enable the camp to better serve more than 300 children with diabetes annually.