Spire gives $5,000 grant to support Camp Character
How a donation from the Spire Foundation will help children in western Missouri
Spire volunteer working at Camp Character
Camp Character sits on 60 acres of wooded property in Willard, Missouri, near Springfield. The camp focuses on teaching kids of all ages the four pillars of character: responsibility, discernment, honor and self-control. Kids and officers bond at camp by hiking the 2-mile-long trail and practicing team building activities.
On Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, Spire presented a check to Willard Police Chief Thomas McClain, who runs the camp through the Willard Police Athletic League and D.A.R.E program.
Spire employees spent the morning and afternoon hours creating a new trail and helping complete other wish-list projects, including clearing and burning brush, splitting and stacking wood for campfires, and making zipline and bridge repairs.
“Spire’s willingness to come alongside us to complete our trail system is incredible in that they can do in one day what took us years to accomplish with hand tools,” said Police Chief McClain. “The kids are going to love this new portion of trail alongside the creek.”
Spire's Mike Fornelli, southwest Missouri regional manager, and Sheri Murray, serviceperson, presented the check for $5,000 to the organization. Sheri, who lives and works in Willard, has coordinated a Day for Good project at Camp Character the last two years after a chance meeting with Chief McClain.
Sheri says, "I was taking a short break and was parked near the camp entrance one day when Chief McClain drove up. At first, he thought I was an electrical contractor he was supposed to meet there. We got to talking, and he showed me around the camp and shared their mission. I thought to myself that this seemed like someplace we could help, and that's really how it came about."
Chief McClain said Spire’s day of volunteer work also provides an additional form of financial support because the camp can forego renting equipment to do the much-needed project.
