According to Chiokai, the intent of the camp to bring the youth to be more aware of their cultural heritage, and to provide opportunities for youth to learn positive life skills did not go unnoticed – despite adequate publicity.
“I give my most heartfelt gratitude to Ms. Maura Gordon of the office of SIG for taking notice of the camp,” Chokai said. “Through a grant of $20,000 from SIG office, we were able to run all the components of the camp successfully.”Chokai said the participants of the camp did learn essential life skills and she is convinced that they did learn about what it takes to make decisions that promote better and healthy living.“The funding we received from SIG boosted our drive to succeed,” Chokai said. “The participants of the camp were aware of the tremendous effort geared towards providing an opportunity for them to lead better lives.”Moreover, Chokai said that the number of individual volunteers who significantly dedicated their time and effort for the youth during the camp is priceless.“I have no way of compensating these people for their time and effort,” she said. “It is impossible to put price tag on commitment and dedication.”Chokai said she is extremely grateful for Ms. Berry Moon Watson, members of the BMS School Board, members BMS alumni associations, community members of Ibobang village, and numerous other individuals who contributed – monetary and in kind – to the success of the camp.“I thank everyone,” she said. “ Most of all, I thank the campers who decided to learn and be part of the plan to preserve our culture. I thank them for volunteering to the past to tomorrow.”
