Leo Shapiro Newspaper Collection

              Cafe'of Teeth Important
At the K. of P. Kiddie Kamp
"IE AUG 16 1939        	
By LEO SHAPIRO
Care  important part in the life of underprivileged and undernourished
boys who receive a two weeks'
free vacation at the Knights of
Pythias Kiddie Kamp in Myles
gtaadish Forest in Plymouth.
The camp, now in its second
season, is unusual in this respect. In its neat camp "hospital" is housed nearly all the
regular equipment to be found in
a regular dental office.
Dental attention, however, is
but one phase of the dental health
program. The youngsters, who
are from 9 to 14 years of age, are
constantly impressed with the
close relationship between dental
health, physical perfection and
success in life.
Lecture by Dentist
to Each New Group
Thus it happens that each new
group soon after it arrives hears
a lecture, given in an informal
manner by a resident young dentist, on the general subject of
mouth care. It is done in such
a way that the boy soon loses
any fear of seeing a dentist.
Last Summer all the boys in
camp through the season permitted examinations and only
.four refused dental treatment. Of
the approximately 247 lads who
attended 181 received dental certificates, testifying that they had
completed all the dental work
they needed to have done at the
time. The remaining campers
were presented with notificktions
of dental defects, indicating faults
requiring correction.
The "hospital" also contains the
camp medical man's office. He
is a medical student and he is
equipped with needed remedies
and supplies. The room itself is
a pleasant place, large and roomy
and finished in subdued colors.
Posters telling of the nutritive
elements present in different
types of food line the  walls.
first aid, helping the chef, boxing.
After lunch there is a half hour
rest period. The remainder of the
afternoon is left for general swimming and play. Then there is the
ceremony of the lowering of the
colors at 5:25, another inspection of
the  hands  and  supper.
In the evening there is basket ball
and volleyball and indoor games.
On the second Friday of the two
weeks' period there is a campfire at
which awards are made for the best
camper in each of the six groups
into which they are divided, for the
boy showing the most improvement
and for lodges winning the great-
! est number of inspections.
Originally   C.  C.  C.  Camp
The story of the origin of the
camp itself is an interesting one. Officers of the Knights of Pythias decided that a camp for underprivileged children would be a
wcrtify»and  charitable  work.    The
AT K.  OF  P.  KIDDIE  KAMP
Upper Photo—Swimming in College Pond.    Lower Photo—
Lining up for reading matter.
movement began in the Fall of 1937
and for seven months the committees that were formed in the various lodges under the guiding spirit
of the well-organized executive
committee, worked hard and long
to raise funds.
They learned that the Federal
Government was abandoning a
C. C. C. camp in the Myles Standish
Forest at Plymouth. They investigated and the result was that for
the first time such a' camp was
taken over by a private or fraternal
order.
The camp, with buildings and
roads already erected, was, however, bare of any equipment or improvements. The project made an
immediate hit. Committees and
members of the order pitched in,
raising funds.
Professional men gave their time.
A Boston dentist mapped out the
dental program. A physician arranged for the medical attention.
Last Summer the camp became a
reality and about 247 boys attended.
This season the Kiddie Kamp committee hopes to be able to provide
vacations for at least 400. The camp
has facilities for 600 but there are
not as yet sufficient funds to make
this total possible.
On a recent Sunday members of 
the   seven   lodges  of  the  first  
tr-ict  of   the   order  and   their  families held an  outing at the camp.
Also present was Judge Frankland
W.   L.   Miles,   presiding   justice   of
the Roxbury Municipal Court, grand
chancellor of the Knights of Pythias!
in Massachusetts, under whose name 
a fund has been started for the be
efit of the camp. '
For many this was their first
visit. So impressed were many of
them that they promised needed
supplies such as food and equipment. Stephen D. Bacigalupo, former assistant Attorney General and
grand vice chancellor of the order,
remained to deliver a sermon to
the campers at the nonsectarian
Sunday night services.
From 37 Lodges
So far this year the campers have
been sent from 37 lodges. They are
of all nationalities and all religions.
The Mayors of communities sending
youngsters have taken a personal
interest. Mayor Fred Rowe of
Brockton. Mayor Fred Manning of
Lynn and Mayor William Bennett
of Worcester have seen "groups off
to camp.
Boys attending camp have shown
gains in weight averaging about
three pounds. Some have gained as
much as eight pounds over the two-
week period.
The boys' day starts with a bugle
call at 7 a. rn. and and ends with
"Taps" at 9 p. m. The campers
rise, wash up in an adjoining barracks building, march to a flag-
raising ceremony, have their hands
inspected for cleanliness by the
councilors and march to breakfast
in the camp dining hall at 8.
After breakfast they return to
their barracks to make up their
bunk., prior to inspection, which is
from 8:45 to 9. Between 9 and 12 in
the morning they attend classes and
special activities, such as camp improvement, baseball, swimming,
knot-tying,   rowing,   dental ^feftaWm1
Large Staff
The camp's swimming instructor
is a young man furnished by the
Massachusetts Humane Society,
without charge to the camp.
The head councilor is Richard F.
Coffin of Dorchester, a graduate of
Bridgton Academy, and last season's captain of the freshman football team at Massachusetts State
College. Assisting him are Edward
P. Bacigalupo, Dorchester; Robert
Nelson, Jamaica Plain; Fred J. Ver-
ney, Plymouth; Albert Freeman,
Roxbury; Leon Freeman, Roxbury,
and Leonard Zieff, Dorchester.
Julius Stone, Winthrop, a Boston
attorney, and Grand Outer Guard of
the K. of P., is director of the camp.
Harold Pembroke, Boston, who was
president of the B. U. freshman class
last year, is the swimming teacher.
Dr. Robert I. Diamond, Winthrop
and Boston, is the dental director;
Dr. William A. Green, Boston, is the
medical director. "Doc" Albert
Espinoza, Dorchester, Tufts Medical
student, is at the camp.
Wallace Bacon, Wollaston, is camp
chef; Wallace Tolman, Cambridge,
maintenance man, and Bernard
Bookstein, Dorchester, chief of staff.
Wallace Stearns, Boston Insurance
man, is chairman of the committee
on admissions. He is Grand Inner
Guard of the K. of P. of Massachusetts. Mrs. Kate Waterman, Dorchester, is secretary. The other
members are William Clark, Somer-
ville, Lester Thayer, Quincy, Mrs.
Robert I. Diamond, Winthrop, Dr.
William A. Gree , Boston. William
Swart, Dorchester, A. Walter Hoff.
Lynn, Samuel Chase, Worcester, and
Samuel Goretsky, Boston.
Officers of the Kiddie Kamp Corporation are Julius Stone. Winthrop.
pres.; John F. Magee, Somerville,
first vice pres.; Raymond S. Clark,
Hyde Park, second vice pres.;
Charles Vincentz, Somerville, secretary; Joseph Silin, Brookline; treas-