Summer fun at Cradle Beach Camp for year-round pals
Veteran campers are easy to find and tough to separate
It’s easy to find campers Mark Montanari and Matthew DeRosa at Cradle Beach camp.
Just look for the two old friends, always together, at meals, during activities and throughout the day.
Ask either one what their favorite activity is, and it might involve the other.
“I like to hang out with my friend Matt,” said Mark, as he put his hand on Matt’s shoulder.
The two 14-year-old boys, who have Down syndrome, are veterans of the summer camp for disadvantaged and disabled children. Both had been together since they were infants, when their families met while seeking support for their disabilities.
Matt’s mother, Charmaine Uebelhoer, said the two boys complement each other. Matt is more outgoing; Mark sticks to quieter activities like drawing.
“They remind me of ‘The Odd Couple’,” she said.
Wherever the two go, Matt will introduce him as “my pal Mark.” They are on the same Challenger baseball team and stay overnight at each other’s house a couple times a month.
Matt receives a phone call from Mark a few times a week.
“I say to him. ‘What’s up?’ He says, ‘Not much.’ I say. ‘How are you?’ He says, ‘I’m fine,’ ” Matt said.
Cradle Beach has become a mainstay in their lives as the two have gotten older. Mark is in his third year there, while Matt is in his fifth.
On Friday, their cabin had a barbecue on “the dunes,” a hilly area that overlooks one of Mark’s favorite spots, Lake Erie. As Mark chowed down on his favorite food, hot dogs, Matt sat down next to him and did the talking.
The two look forward to coming back each year. When Matt arrived at a weekend-long program earlier this year, he ran into Director of Youth Services Bonnie Brusk’s arms and shouted “I’m home!” his mother said.
“It’s a safe and nurturing environment for them,” she said.
The two enjoy the swinging on the playground’s monkey bars, hanging out in the tree-house and going swimming; Mark loves to jump off the diving board as well. Each makes new friends at camp every year.
The boys speak fondly of their counselor “Woody,” aka Mike Wiggin, who has worked summers at the camp since 1987.
Mark’s father, David Montanari, said that for the entire ride to camp, Mark was hoping he’d be back in Woody’s cabin with Matt. Sure enough, he was.
Montanari and Mary Lou, Mark’s mom, said the camp allows Mark to gain more independence as he gets older. Mary Lou Montanari said Mark always wanted to go to camp like his older sister did, but they didn’t know a camp existed that could accommodate him. Finding out about Cradle Beach was a godsend, she said.
“It gives him a chance to strike out on his own,” she said. “They’re like a comedy act between the two of them. They have a great time.”
Mark and Matt don’t want to think about when the first session of camp ends on Wednesday; the two hope to have many more fun memories before then.
But Matt said he has already planned what he will say to Mark on the phone when camp is over:
“Hey Mark, how are you doing? I miss you and I love you and I care about you.”
