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"The light which no darkness can quench."
These words of Helen Keller, must have inspired David Burdick recently as he pedaled his way toward completing a 1500 mile bike-a-thon for National Camps for Blind Children. Recently retired from the U.S. Navy, Submarine Service, he was able to find time to do the bike-a-thon.
David, a nephew of Jeanne and 'Kitty' Wilson of Grantsville, rode his bicycle, pulling a cart to Washington D.C. and back to Georgia to raise funds for the blind.
(L) David in DC the White House in background
(R)The cart ... won't be making the next trip
David began his adventure June 5, 2005. He camped a lot, sometimes in Seventh Day Adventist churchyards. He also stayed with Adventist families, some he had never met before. He saw friends he hadn't seen in years. He met new people, attracting attention as he traveled alone pulling his cart with a sign on the back, hand made by his daughter Betania.
He shared with them the mission of Camps for Blind Children/Adults and collected pledges and donations along the way. He reached the half way point of his goal, Washington D.C. June 20th and then stopped at Falls Church, Virginia for a family celebration before starting back to Georgia.
A visit with family at Falls Church
It was literally an up hill battle, or so it seemed to David. He fought wind all the way back because of the hurricanes and it seemed like he was riding his bicycle up hill all the way. He made it to his home July 9th, "rescued" about 100 miles from Kingsland by a friend who took David, and his "rig" the rest of the way home.
"All around it was a good experience," David said. In spite of a few frustrations such as being given the wrong directions, traveling 20 miles out of his way or trying to find the local library to send an e-mail, and being told by several people that they didn't know if their town had a library. He's ready to try another bike-a-thon sometime in the future. He has definitely decided it would be without pulling the cart. "Maybe someone like 'Dad' could provide a support car," said David.
National Camps for the Blind is a Seventh Day Adventist ministry. It is affiliated with Christian Record Services which has been serving the blind since 1899 and began as the publication The Christian Record.
Austin O. Wilson, a legally blind young man in his early 20s, was concerned about the lack of Christian reading material available for the blind. He decided to try an experiment. Taking a clothes wringer, he modified it to accommodate two metal plates with a sheet of heavy paper between them. As the plates were squeezed through the wringer, the raised dots on the plates made an impression on the paper, producing one page of a braille magazine he entitled the Christian Record ... Excerpt courtesy of www.christianrecord.org
The Christian grew and later services were added. It became Christian Record Services and is now an international organization serving in 80 countries. The services are free to all who qualify because of visual disability. Some of these services include; an extensive library in Braille, audio cassette, other publications also in Talking Books and large print, education in conquering disabilities, spiritual guidance, scholarships for college education and of course Camps for the Blind. They are now all across the country in 24 locations.
At the Camps, the kids don't have to sit on the sidelines while their siblings and friends have all the fun. Instead they are challenged to participate in the activities. These are just some of the activities; horseback riding, hot air ballooning, skiing, back packing, snowmobiling, ice skating, beeper baseball, music, crafts, using tools, working with computers, and a whole lot more. Some of these activities would challenge anyone! The Camps have been really popular and now include adults.
Helen Keller received Christian Record Services and in 1911 wrote a letter of appreciation to them. An excerpt from her letter reads, "I rejoice in the encouragement which you have given the blind to be as self supporting as possible. Yes, work which they can do and do well, and in a noble spirit, is the best way to worship God and to serve their fellow man." Anyone wishing to donate to Camps for Blind children/Adults may contact:
Camps for Blind Children/Adults
PO Box 6097 Lincoln Nebraska 68506-0097
Phone: 402 488 0981 Fax: 402 488 7582
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