A magic combination

Mike Sciacca

It was like a scene straight out of “Harry Potter.”

About 50 youngsters from Huntington Beach arrived high in the hills of

San Diego County Monday by bus and car -- unlike their fictional

counterparts, who traveled via train and boat. With them, they carried

their invitations to stay at a magical place.

It wasn’t Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but rather the

grounds of Camp Cuyamaca in Cuyamaca State Park.

There were no secret doors or passageways to conquer, but wearing horn

rimmed “Harry Potter” type glasses and armed with wands capable of

casting imaginary spells, these children had come to participate in some

magic-themed events.

The magic word -- fun.

“That is the only thing we want for these kids,” said camp volunteer

Ric Schultz. “It is our goal to make sure they have a great time.”

Schultz is one of more than 130 volunteer counselors, about 123 of

whom are Marines from Camp Pendleton, that are helping to stage the

annual Muscular Dystrophy Assn.’s summer camp.

The Muscular Dystrophy Assn., through the generosity of several

sponsors, sends youth ages six to 21 -- all diagnosed with a

neuromuscular disease, to Camp Cuyamaca free of charge. The five-day camp

gives these children the chance to have fun in various events that are

geared to their individual abilities in a barrier-free environment.

Sponsorship has alleviated the $525 price tag it would normally cost a

camper to attend.

Schultz, a fire captain and paramedic with the Orange County Fire

Authority, is in his eighth year as a camp volunteer.

“These kids look forward to this camp every year,” he said. “I

thoroughly enjoy watching them have a blast. It’s my duty here to keep

the campers healthy and happy and enjoy the full week of activities.”

That hasn’t always been easy.

“At times in years past, scrapes, bumps and allergies have prevented

some campers from enjoying the entire week,” he said. “My role is to help

keep them healthy and in camp until they leave for home on Saturday.”

Kavin Chau, a 6-year-old from Huntington Beach, is attending camp for

the first time.

“I like watching sports and what I want to do most at camp is swim and

play basketball,” he said upon his arrival Monday.

This year’s camp theme is mixing fantasy with fact as magic and secret

wartime techniques are combined in a weeklong presentation of events.

Sort of like, Harry Potter meets GI. Joe.

Campers and counselors -- where the ratio is one on one with, some

exceptions where there are two counselors per camper -- will be divided

into four groups. The names of each group comes from the four halls at

Hogwart’s School: Hufflepuff, Slytherin, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

Events will include Hogwart Casino Night, Magic Dirt Art and Harry

Potter’s Animal Friends, where Bob Farmer, a local wild animal rescuer,

will bring such animals as owls and snakes for the campers to enjoy.

Other activities include hockey, basketball, teddy bear football,

swimming, hiking, a wheelchair soccer match and a camp talent show.

“There is something for everybody here,” said Donabelle Nicolas, a

health care services supervisor from the Muscular Dystrophy Assn.’s

regional office in Orange County. “What’s great about this camp is that

each camper gets individual counseling and attention. Their needs are met

and the counselors are here to cater to them.”

In recognition of all military personnel including the Camp Pendleton

volunteers, Muscular Dystrophy has designated Friday, the final day of

camp, as Military Appreciation Day.

Marine Corps volunteers will invite campers to join in on their

special miliary formation in celebration of their patriotism. Then, they

will head out to the woods for a game of military hide-and-seek.

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at (714)

965-7171 or by e-mail at michael.sciacca@latimes.com.