Selflessness is not a common quality, but it is embedded deeply in Kaye Carr. Carr, 37, serves on the board of directors at Hope Hollow Ministries, a Canton-based non-profit that provides opportunities for children and adults with disabilities to go to summer camp. Born and raised in Ridgeland, Carr now lives in Canton and got involved with Hope Hollow nearly a year ago through her 5-year-old son Sam, who has sensory issues similar to autism.
"I really got involved last spring when we were looking for summer camps for my boys," Carr says. Despite hours of searching, she could find plenty of camp opportunities for Jack, 7, does not suffer from disabilities, but almost none for Sam.
As she was searching, she came across an old high school friend, Rebecca Phelps, who happened to be the executive director at Hope Hollow. Through Phelps, Carr and her family got involved with Hope Hollow, and last June, Carr was elected to serve on the board of directors. As a board member, Carr has made numerous contributions to the camp, including serving on the Junior Auxiliary to support Hope Hollow.
"You get a passion for some things," she says. "I fell in love with it, and I jumped right in. This is benefiting my child, and I wanted him to have these options, so I jumped in. I mean, when you care about something, why not?"
One of her biggest contributions to Hope Hollow came in the form of an idea to paint the doors of the main building at the camp, inspired by a vacation to the New Orleans Children's Museum, where all of the doors were painted by artists. This idea became the Doors of Hope campaign.
Carr found sponsors for each door, and contacted local artists to paint the doors in honor of the children who attended the camp. Local artists included Wyatt Waters, Vicki Carroll, Vicki Armstrong, Tony DiFatta, Jacob Walters, Roz Roy, Erica Flannes, Lee Harper, Amanda Ray Fox, Joy McAlister, Laurie Hamilton Smith and Amanda Byrd, a camper at Hope Hollow. The public is invited to the opening gala of The Doors of Hope Feb. 6, at 6 p.m. at Hope Hollow Ministries, 910 A Catlett Road, Canton. Admission is $50 per person and all proceeds from the event will be used to install a wheelchair lift and other renovations at the camp.
For more information about Hope Hollow visit their Web site or call 601-506-6293.
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