Eddie Russell, a graduate student at Southeast Missouri State University, volunteered to organize and operate a camp for youths at the Pentecostal Power Church in Caruthersville during the summer.

The camp, which involved as many as 32 students, included two-day hiking and canoeing trips during July and a one-day trip to the Memphis Zoo on Aug. 10.

Russell said that he began the camp program because "these kids are less fortunate, and they wouldn't otherwise get a chance to attend a summer camp".

The main goal of the camp was to "let the children have fun and let them learn how to use and enjoy the outdoors," Russell said.

During the two-day trips to spots like Trail of Tears in Cape Girardeau and Wappapello Lake in Southeast Missouri, Russell instructed children in canoeing, hiking, and fishing.