By Cindy Mccormick
Cape Cop Times
April 9, 2011
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110409/NEWS/104090319/-1/NEWSMAP
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Stripped of its national camp accreditation during investigations of child sexual abuse, Camp Good News owners Friday decided to stay closed for this summer, its operators said in a press release.
Camp officials made the "difficult decision" Thursday night and spent Friday trying to contact staff and the families of campers "before they heard this on the news," according to the press release issued by a public relations firm early Friday night.
The Christian summer camp on the shores of Snake Pond made the decision not to reopen on the same day that the American Camp Association lifted its accreditation of the camp. The accreditation, held by the camp since 1959, is sort of a Good Housekeeping seal of approval. The voluntary accreditation process involves a review of 300 health and safety standards, said Peg Smith, ACA executive director.
"Accreditation provides great evidence that there's a commitment to their child's safety," Smith said of campers' parents. "Because of the multiple allegations and possible evidence that laws have been violated (at Camp Good News) we felt it was imperative we remove accreditation."
The loss of accreditation and the decision to close came late in a week of major setbacks for Camp Good News. The camp faces allegations and a possible civil suit by at least six people who say they were sexually abused there as children. The camp also is being investigated by the Sandwich police and Massachusetts State Police detectives working for the Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office.
There was more than one abuser, according to Mitchell Garabedian, an attorney representing the alleged victims. But only one alleged perpetrator has been identified, grounds director Charles "Chuck" Devita, who shot himself to death in a pickup truck on camp property Wednesday.
A man living in the Boston area who is represented by Garabedian has said Devita repeatedly molested him in 1985 when he was 10 years old. Garabedian said his client was inspired to come forward after U.S. Sen. Scott Brown revealed in February that he was molested at a "Christian" summer camp on the Cape.
Camp Good News has confirmed that Brown had attended the facility as a child and issued an apology for anything he may have suffered at the camp. Based on his age, Devita could not have been the counselor who allegedly molested Brown.
In their press release Friday about closing for this summer, the camp owners said they "remain fully committed to offering a positive experience to young people. It is clear that we must review every aspect of our operations before reopening. We take these allegations extremely seriously and want to express deep remorse for anything that may have occurred at the camp which may have hurt anyone. We have reached out to offer our cooperation to the District Attorney's office."
The statement also says the camp owners made the decision to close well before "we knew of the news from the Sandwich Board of Health," a statement that puzzled Town Administrator Bud Dunham and town health director David Mason. Both town officials said there was no action by the board of health that involved the camp. Late Friday night, a camp spokeswoman said the reference to the board of health had been made on false information.
Earlier Friday, Camp Good News officials said they weren't fighting the loss of accreditation.
"Camp Good News understands and respects the American Camp Association's decision," the camp's press release states.
Camp Good News could request re-accreditation, pending the outcome of investigations into the camp, Peg Smith said. The process of re-accreditation would involve interviewers and observers visiting the camp, she said.
In the meantime, the outreach director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests applauded the ACA for "this quick, decisive move."
"It will, we believe, help deter future recklessness and cover ups of child sex crimes and suspicions," Barbara Dorris of St. Louis said in an email to the Times.
Church hierarchies too often pursue a misguided policy of forgiveness instead of punishing a wrong-doer, Dorris wrote.
Her organization, however, expressed surprise that the ACA so rarely suspends accreditation. "We hope the organization will consider this step more often as a means of prodding camp operators to take children's safety more seriously," Dorris wrote.
Loss of accreditation "is very rare," Smith said, without citing a figure. Accreditation is not a license to operate a camp but is an extra step only 20 to 25 percent of U.S. camps have completed to demonstrate excellence, she said. ACA inspectors examine factors such as staff qualifications and emergency management.
Thomas Daniel, a freshman at Sandwich High School, had planned to spend four weeks this summer at Camp Good News, as he has for years.
"The loyal followers wanted to go there," he said. "It was pretty fun."
Thomas said he'll look for a job instead.
Staff writer Susan Milton contributed to this report.
Contact: cmccormick@capecodonline.com
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