What started as an exciting summer adventure for young Michael Stewart ended in tragedy. This incident has raised serious concerns about the camp’s safety measures and has led to a full investigation.
On Monday, at Liberty Lake Day Camp in Burlington County, New Jersey, six-year-old Michael Jeffrey Stewart drowned on his very first day of camp. This heartbreaking news has left Michael’s family in deep grief and has shocked the whole community.
Michael’s mother, Enjoli Stewart, shared her deep sadness and frustration with the camp. “Liberty Lakes messed up. Big time. And now I don’t have a son anymore. That’s heartbreaking,” she told FOX 29.
Michael had been looking forward to his first day at the camp, not knowing it would be his last. He was set to attend the camp for several weeks, and Enjoli had spent thousands of dollars to ensure he had the best experience. She said:
“I did everything I could to make sure he was placed in the right school and the right camp.”
The incident happened during the afternoon swim period for campers who were entering first and second grades.
Camp officials reported that a lifeguard found Michael unresponsive in a shallow pool. The lifeguard quickly pulled him out of the water and tried to perform CPR.
Despite the attempts to save him, Michael was pronounced dead at a local hospital later that day.
Michael’s life was a fight from the beginning. Born as a micro-preemie at just 23 weeks and weighing only one pound and three ounces, doctors had not expected him to survive.
Despite the odds, Michael defied expectations with his mother’s relentless advocacy and unwavering faith. He grew into a bright, loving, and caring boy whose resilience and passion for learning won the hearts of everyone who knew him.
“Michael taught me how to fight and he taught me to fight without using my hands,” Enjoli said. “He taught me how to fight in a different manner.”
Michael was especially close to his younger sister, Layla. They enjoyed playing basketball and baseball together. Enjoli described her son as “extremely smart,” with an impressive vocabulary.
Enjoli described Michael as a curious child who loved learning new things. He was excited about starting piano classes, which were next on his summer to-do list.
Liberty Lake Day Camp, which had just opened for the summer on the day of the incident, expressed their sorrow in a statement.
Camp founder Andy Pritikin wrote, “All of us at Liberty Lake Day Camp are devastated and grieving over the tragic passing of our young camper. This senseless tragedy took a life that was far too young. There are no words that feel appropriate enough to capture our heartache and mourning.”
Michael’s mother was talking to a coworker about her son’s excitement for the camp when she received the heartbreaking news.
“Someone asked me how my day was going, and I told them about Michael and how he fell asleep the night before with his goggles on,” she said. “He was so excited about swimming, and then my phone rang. I was told I needed to rush to Mount Holly-Virtua.”
The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and Mansfield Township police are investigating the incident. An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday by the Burlington County medical examiner.
Enjoli has raised concerns about the camp’s safety protocols. She noted that Michael, a beginner swimmer, was supposed to be in an instructional swim class, but it did not take place.
She also pointed out that Michael was assigned a one-on-one aide who was meant to be with him at all times. However, that aide is still employed at the camp.
Pritikin acknowledged that typically, staff members do not conduct instructional swim classes on the first day of camp.
The camp employs 25 lifeguards certified in first aid, CPR, and the use of AEDs, as well as three registered nurses.
Despite these measures, Enjoli believes more should have been done to prevent her son’s death. She suggested that, out of respect for her family, the camp should have closed the pool for 24 to 48 hours following the incident.
However, Pritikin stated that experts advised continuing camp activities, emphasizing that the safety and well-being of campers and staff are their top priorities.
Michael was a rising first-grade student in the Lumberton School District. The district released a statement expressing their deepest condolences to the Stewart family.
In support of the family, a lemonade stand fundraiser will be held at the Old Fire House on Main Street in Lumberton on Saturday. This event is especially meaningful because Michael loved making lemonade and hosting lemonade stands in his neighborhood.
Additionally, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the Stewart family with funeral and memorial expenses. The campaign highlights Michael’s remarkable journey, from his premature birth to his joyful life.
Michael was a rising first-grade student in the Lumberton School District. The district released a statement offering their deepest condolences to the Stewart family.
To support the family, a lemonade stand fundraiser will be held at the Old Fire House on Main Street in Lumberton on Saturday. This event is especially meaningful because Michael loved making lemonade and hosting lemonade stands in his neighborhood.
Additionally, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the Stewart family with funeral and memorial expenses. The campaign highlights Michael’s remarkable journey from his premature birth to his joyful life.
The campaign organizer shared how doctors initially gave Michael little chance of survival. “Michael’s mother refused to believe that, and with every ounce of her strength, advocacy, and faith, fought for his life,” the campaign states.
Seeing Michael grow into a wonderful little boy filled Enjoli’s heart with joy. Unfortunately, that joy was cut short. Michael is remembered for his kindness and his heart of gold.
Not only was Michael a loving presence for his mother and younger sister, but he also touched the lives of everyone around him.
“The family is in need of a lot of support at this time, as you can imagine,” the GoFundMe campaign states. “We are asking for your help in raising money for Michael Jeffrey and his family so that he can be given the funeral and memorial services that he deserves to honor his life. Anything you can give to the family is much appreciated.”
https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D10100546882067904%26set%3Da.527558278974%26type%3D3&show_text=true&width=500
The update also mentioned another GoFundMe campaign started by Lumberton Township in response to the tragedy.
The Stewart family expressed their gratitude for this additional support and encouraged people to contribute to any of the fundraising campaigns.
In response to the incident, Liberty Lake Day Camp has made its clinical social worker available for counseling to those affected. The camp has also pledged to continue its summer program with a heightened emphasis on safety measures.
14-Year-Old Girl Spend 200$ To Buy An Old Caravan, But Wait Till You See What She Made Of It
Ellie Yeater does not squander her leisure time on computer games, go out with friends, or swim in pools throughout the summer.
During her summer vacation, the 14-year-old Williamstown, West Virginia, native converted a 1974 Wilderness camper into a place she calls a “Glamper.”The word “glamper” is created by combining the concepts “glamorous” with “camping.”She said that camping will be much more fun and less laborious with the new Wilderness glamper.
She’s an aspiring high school student; just wait to see her gorgeously restored Wilderness camper.
Through housekeeping, birthday money, and other activities, she saved up roughly $500, according to the child’s mother Lori, to buy and renovate the camper.
This is a photo of the camper before any modifications were made.
Yeater said she saw her camper listed on a neighborhood bulletin board for $200.
She paid for paint, flooring, linens, and other glamper accessories using the money she had left over after buying the camper.
Ellie says the camper was in terrible shape because the previous owners used it for both hunting and camping. It took a lot of work to complete. stated her mother.
It was her older brother Isaiah who came up with the original plan to build a tiny camper.
She says that Isaiah built a small cabin for him and his friends to hang out in, and she wanted something “cuter” and closer to the house for her friend since she required Wi-Fi and electricity.
She had to start her business by dismantling and cleaning the camper completely.
She then went ahead and painted the camper using Valspar’s “Mystic Sea” shade.
After everything was disassembled, Ellie cleans up any excess glue that may have gotten on the floor in the image above.
The picture above also shows her grandfather Lawrence teaching her some basic carpentry techniques like bracing and hole-patching.
Ellie then chose her favorite color scheme, a shade of aqua blue, for the next step.
Ellie paints the interior with great care, giving the dull wood theme a brighter look.
In the photo below, you can see that the camper’s interior is starting to take shape.
In the latter stages, the finishing touches were applied. Ellie’s grandmother Mary helped with the upholstery of the curtains and sofa cushions as Ellie installed new floor tiles.
Ellie mentioned that she spent the summer gathering a lot of stuff for her glamper.
In the photo below, you can see her carrying in a mannequin decoration that she purchased from a warehouse that recently closed.
She claimed that Pinterest was a huge source of inspiration for her project and that it was really helpful.
Ellie is constantly adding finishing touches to the almost finished Glamper, such as a retro electric fan, an antique camera, and matching napkins made by her grandmother.
When asked what she wants to do when the project is done, she says she might just spend some peaceful time reading and playing the ukulele, or she might have a sleepover with her friends.
Ellie used her determination to build an amazing glamper. For someone her age to take on such a big job by themselves is amazing.
When Ellie’s mother is questioned about why her daughter would accept such a task, she replies, “I have never told her that she couldn’t do anything.”
And inspired by it, Ellie set out to make something really beautiful.
When we see Ellie’s project as a completed work, we must always remember that hard work always pays off. Whatever we set our minds to, we can accomplish.
Kindly SHARING this with your loved ones!
Leave a Reply