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It’s KOOL To Send A Kid To Camp Ta-Kum-Ta!

Camp Ta-Kum-Ta-Thon Week

FIVE DAY GRAND TOTAL: OVER $210,000—A NEW 25TH ANNIVERSARY RECORD

What a finish to a GREAT week at the Camp TaKumTa-thon! You all helped us raise over $211,000 for Camp TaKumTa in South Hero!  It was busy! We had guests coming in and out of the radio station all morning, and the phone lines packed with donations from listeners from across Vermont & New York (and beyond!).

It was great hearing from and seeing everyone this morning! Ted Kessler joined us to talk more about some the connections he’s made as co-founder of Camp TaKumTa in 1984. His daughter Amanda is also working on a project to refurbish ‘Gracie’s Playhouse’ at Camp—a playhouse for the kids in memory of Milton’s Grace Emery, who we lost to cancer in 2021.

Former Ta-Kum-Ta camper Maddie Haydock stopped by early this morning to join in the fun and talk a bit about Camp and the affect it had on her life and recovery. Maddie attended Camp for 10 years from 2011 to 2021, and now a sophomore at St. Lawrence University.

Katee Bidelspach joined us to talk about her son Christopher, a camper in the oldest boys cabin at Camp Ta-Kum-Ta. Christopher wasn’t able to join us this morning—he’s currently spending part of school year in Poland!  Katee talked about Chistopher’s battle with cancer as an infant, and how their whole family, including Chris’ sister Clara, has benefitted from Camp Ta-Kum-Ta.

Sisters Merin and Tessa Blake zoomed-in from their home in Burlington to talk about the fun activities at Camp—from Waterfront and the Ropes Course to BACON! … Thanks to both, and to their mom Mia who talked about Merin’s diagnosis and the symptoms that led them to discover about Merin’s cancer.

It was also great hearing from Pat Cram from the 9-1-9 Foundation. Pat’s husband Mike, a former Winooski Police Officer, died from illness associated with the burn pits he was exposed to while serving overseas. She spoke about Mike’s love of children, and how they had decided together before he died that Camp TaKumTa was a place to leave his continuing legacy.

Thanks too to Lindsey, Dan, Rosemary, Kathy, Dan, Dina, Morgan, and Dennis for their hard work behind the scenes—and THANKS TO YOU for helping make it all happen! … We’re truly blessed to be living in such a great community with listeners who go above and beyond to help those around them!

It’s KOOL To Send A Kid To Camp TaKumTa with KOOL 105!

It’s KOOL To Send A Kid To Camp Ta-Kum-Ta with KOOL 105!


For nearly 40 years, Camp Ta-Kum-Ta has been a camp for children from Vermont and New York who have, or have had cancer. There is never a charge to the family of the child, instead all camp expenses (about $2,500 per child) are covered by donations from the public. Some of these expenses include essentials to any camp like food and shelter and activities, but because Camp Ta-Kum-Ta is special, also include chemotherapy, a fully-equipped on-site medical facility, and handicap accessibility to everything possible.

Join us this week at 105.1 FM in Vermont and New York, and online at wkol.com, as we talk with the Campers, the Staff, and the Volunteers who make Camp Ta-Kum-Ta such a special place!

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