Covenant News at www.covchurch.org
The 13th annual golf outing event will take place September 29 at Hawks
View Golf Course in Lake Geneva. Interested individuals can register by
visiting the camp's website at Golf for Kids.
Williams, who hailed from Gary, Indiana, first came to camp on a Golf
for Kids scholarship because his family could not afford to send him.
Following his death, other counselors and campers immediately began
leaving online tributes at his "MySpace" Internet account. To read the
original online news story, please see Antwan Williams.
"We felt that it was appropriate to name the outing for Antwan," says
Jim Steere, adding that the family gave permission for the fundraiser to
be named in his honor. "He meant a great deal to the kids and his fellow
counselors. He was an example of how important these scholarships are."
His camping experience set him on a path to attend Covenant Bible
College-Strathmore - he graduated shortly before he was killed in the
accident. Williams had planned on returning to the school to serve as
dean of men.
Steere's wife, O'Ann, who is a counselor, has helped the Covenant Harbor
staff grieve the loss of Williams. "We have seven staff members who were
just devastated," he says.
Staff members have been changed as they have worked through the
experience of William's death, Steere explains. "There's this heightened
sense that how you live your life now really makes a lot of difference."
Staff members also developed "a pretty keen sense that we are frail, we
can die young," Steere says. "It was a reality check."
O'Ann taught the counselors how to explain the loss to returning
campers. "You never want to say, 'God wanted to take him home.' " Steere
says. "That would scare children. They would wonder, 'What about me?' "
Camper Katie Beavers recently responded to the online news story of
William's death by writing to the Readers Share forum on the
Covenant website. "Antwan, you were always my favorite male counselor at
Covenant Harbor," Beavers writes. "I wasn't gonna go to camp this year,
but after hearing this, I really want to. I really wish you could have
been here this year. Rest in peace. I miss you."
Last year, a record 120 golfers raised $28,000 in scholarships. The camp
awards between $45,000 and $50,000 a year in scholarships, says Steere.
The difference between what is raised at the outing and what is given is
covered by other donations.
Steere tells the story of one mother who did not come from a Covenant
background. She was so excited with the positive impact the camp had on
her children, who had been going through a rough time, that she donated
$25,000. Many of the scholarships are awarded to students who do not
come from Covenant backgrounds, as was the case with Williams.
Charity Golf Event Renamed to Honor Antwan Williams
LAKE GENEVA, IL (July 12) - The charity golf outing to help fund camping
scholarships at Covenant Harbor Bible Camp and Retreat Center has been
renamed the Antwan Williams Memorial Golf for Kids, in honor of the
much-loved counselor who died in a tragic automobile accident in May.
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