MERIDIAN —     Camp Eagle Ridge was established in 2010 by Dan Fritts in Collinsville as a nonprofit summer day camp for abled and special-needs children.

    But as evidenced last year during an extremely hot summer, water was a necessity that had to be brought in to help keep everyone, including the animals used during the camps, hydrated and comfortable.

    Thanks to the efforts of the Downtown Optimist Club members in raising funds for the camp, in large part due to fundraisers such as the annual Pancake Jubilee, the club members were able to present Fritts with a $5,000 donation that will go towards to solving the water problems at the camp. Fritts said this donation and the water it will bring to the camp signifies a springboard event that will vault the organization forward to bigger and better things.

    "Words cannot describe how thankful and grateful we are to the optimist club," Fritts said. "The generous gift by the optimist club will be used to build a well at Camp Eagle Ridge for this summer. I love Mississippi but we all know how hot and humid it gets here so the addition of water to our camp not only will keep our campers and counselors cool this summer, but also allows us to provide water related activities such as water slides and dunking booths."

    Camp Eagle Ridge strives to develop in children the character qualities of determination, persistence, discipline, confidence, courage, and responsibility. The staff of Camp Eagle Ridge use a variety of therapeutic activities such as horseback riding, wall climbing, arts and crafts, and public speaking/presentations to build those qualities in the belief that they can assist children in building self-confidence to motivate themselves to succeed in school and pursue a higher education.

    The availability of water will now enable Fritts and his team to take the camp to the next level.

    "With water we will build bathroom facilities, build dormitories, class rooms, and a lodge," said Fritts. "So this gift by the optimist cannot be overstated and we will always be trully grateful to all of its members."

    DTOC Membership became aware of the plans for Camp Eagle Ridge before it actually existed when Fritts visited the club as a speaker and told of his dream of building Camp Eagle Ridge. After his first visit, the DTOC made a small donation of seed money to support Fritts' efforts. Over the next year, Camp Eagle Ridge began to take physical shape and soon after Fritts found some suitable land in the Collinsville area, the first children began showing up for summer camp.

    Dan Derrington, a Downtown Optimist Club member, noted that funding such as this is not possible without the support of Meridian and Lauderdale County residents who support the club in its events such at the annual Pancake Jubilee.

    "It is worth mentioning that without community support of the Downtown Optimist Club's Pancake Jubilee over the past 65 years, we could never make donations of this size to any organization," said Derrington. "A lot of thanks go out to them for helping us to support our local youth and the work Dan does at Camp Eagle Ridge."