‘Can I Come Back Here Every Year?’ The Helen L. Diller Vacation Home for Blind Children Has Been Creating Memories for 50 Years
Most magic numbers have to do with clinching a sports championship.
But this one is magic, period.
The number is 50, reached by the Helen L. Diller Vacation Home for Blind Children, as it launches a 50th operation year in June.
It’s a significant milestone, spanning half a century of lifting and transforming children’s lives. The home is a beacon of benevolence at 127 26th St. in Avalon, two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean.
This is a special celebration year, acknowledging an island-wide portrait of philanthropy.
With the milestone approaching, here’s an overview from several perspectives including the community, business owners, employees and parents of campers.
The Community
For the Diller Vacation Home, it’s been 50 years providing visually impaired children an all-expense-paid week of summer camp.
That’s 50 years of providing campers ranging from 7 to 15 years of age with their first experience feeling sand between their toes or the waves crashing against their legs.
In 1970, the Stone Harbor Lions Club committed to finance the project with a $6,000 pledge. Sherwood Apartments at 127 26th St. was purchased for $48,750. The first year of summer camp was held in 1972. In 2002, the Diller Home was adopted as an Avalon Lions Club project. The home is named in memory of island resident Helen L. Diller; her husband William made a generous donation in her memory to honor her dedication and contribution to the community.
Campers receive the type of vacation most people would love to book for themselves. Activities include adventures to Morey’s Pier, boat rides, and trips to the Cape May County Park & Zoo.
Campers also experience community living while dining at local restaurants and ice cream parlors and attending weekly events throughout town.
Not to mention the beach and the ocean.
The Avalon community is all-in on this endeavor. Key benefactors include community organizations such as the Avalon Lions Club and Tim Kerr Charities. The Avalon Lions have hosted a Charity Golf Classic with proceeds nearing $50,000 each year for the Diller Home. Proceeds from Tim Kerr Charities’ 7 Mile Island Run also benefit the home.
The board of directors hosts fundraising efforts like the annual Barefoot Ball, partnering with ICONA Windrift to hold the event on the first Saturday after Labor Day. The event will take place Sept. 10 this year.
The Turkey Trot brings together runners and walkers the day after Thanksgiving for a 5K Run/1.5-mile walk. Last year, there were more than 900 participants.
The Diller Home adds a spring event this year: an open house for the community May 28, from 11am-2pm. It’s an occasion to thank community donors and showcase the home.
The event is open to the public.
An active board of directors also plays a key role in the Diller Home’s 50 years of success.
“We are grateful to the community for the continued support we have received. We are also truly blessed by the members who make up our board of directors. They all step up when something needs to get done,” says longtime president Douglas Heun.
“Matt Pappas of Brandywine Developers led our Build a Better Home project in 2014, where we underwent a complete interior renovation; Holly Rennie, a realtor with Ferguson Dechert, ensures our furniture, paint colors and décor are refreshed and maintained; and Josh Miller and his wife Kim of Ocean Galleries donate artwork to us from world-renowned artists for the Barefoot Ball each year. They also brought Autumn de Forest to camp a few years ago to paint with our campers, which was a highlight.”
Says Heun: “These are just a few of the great accomplishments, but we truly have such a dedicated board who all work together to ensure that the Diller Home will be around for another 50-plus years.”
Businesses Owners Give Back
There’s a vibe throughout town as businesses welcome their extended summer family.
Justine and Rhianne Lowe represent that spirit as the owners of Isabel’s Bakery and Café at 2285 Dune Drive.
The Maryland natives fell in love with Avalon during summer visits to their grandparents’ home on 71st Street. The sisters have owned Isabel’s for nine years and supported Diller campers from the start.
Isabel’s provides a free lunch and a pastry for campers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the entire summer. That can mean anywhere from 15-20 lunches each week for two straight months.
“We love seeing the campers,” Justine Lowe says. “It’s great to see them come over here from the Diller Home. We are always happy to receive thank-you letters from them every week, which they mail from there.
“We remember the excitement ourselves of coming here and experiencing the beach and the ocean for the first time,” she adds. “That was a memorable experience for us and we know it is for them. We are happy to be contribute to the campers’ stay in Avalon and to be part of what the business community does here to support the Diller Home.”
View from a Parent
The facility helped Philadelphia native Terry Zaccagni make an emotional leap regarding her daughter Gianna, who first attended camp in 2014.
“I was nervous,” Zaccagni recalls. “It was the first time Gianna had been away from home for a long period of time. When I dropped her off, other parents told me I had nothing to worry about and this would be one of the best experiences for her.
“I found that out to be true in 24 hours’ time. When I checked back with her, she said, ‘Can I come back here every year? This is awesome.’”
The answer was a resounding “Yes.” Gianna, 17, will be coming for a ninth consecutive summer.
“What the staff does with the children is amazing,” her mother says. “They give the kids a range of activities to enjoy with kids their own age. My daughter doesn’t have a shy bone in her body. She will go right up to people and learn more about them.
“Gianna keeps in touch with her friends from the camp all year. She already is counting down the days until when she goes in July. She loves it there.”
Zaccagni adds that Gianna also enjoyed the COVID-necessitated virtual session two years ago.
Dedicated Workers Make It Go
Camp supervisor Emily O’Donnell exemplifies the spirit of the organization.
She started at age 19 as a counselor, augmenting her studies in the visually impaired learning program at Kutztown University. That was 14 years ago.
While moving up in the organization, she was bestowed a coveted distinction. The first lady of New Jersey honored her in 2016 as a New Jersey Hero for her hard work and dedication at Diller.
The satisfaction is far-reaching for O’Donnell.
“One of the most gratifying aspects is getting to see the children and watch them grow year after year,” she says. “You see them grow up, becoming functional adults. You develop relationships with their families. You look forward to them coming back and they look forward to coming back here.
“Every experience is wonderful, but when you start thinking about favorite ones, it’s probably enjoying the beach in Avalon, going to the amusement park, describing a roller coaster to someone who can’t see it and feeling how special it is to share that. These are only some.”
O’Donnell looks forward to launching the Helen L. Diller Scholarship Program this year. Scholarships will be awarded to past campers in the amount of $5,000 per year (up to four years) for a total of $20,000 per recipient.
Camp director Jim Moreland runs day-to-day operations with a staff of roughly 17. He sees a unique bonding experience not only between the campers and staff, but between the campers themselves.
“Oftentimes, this is the only place where blind and visually impaired children can interact with children their age who face similar challenges,” he says. “This is such a cool experience for them here. You see campers who are shy about opening up in the beginning of the week and crying at the end of the week that they are leaving their newfound friends.
“They come back the following year and say, ‘Yeah, I kept in touch with my buddy every other day in the last year.’ They are forming lifelong friendships.”
Moreland, a teacher in Pennsylvania, says the campers love the entire gamut of activities and relish the yacht club visits. The Yacht Club of Stone Harbor and Avalon Yacht Club alternate hosting the campers every Friday.
“All of the captains do different things for the kids and they love it,” Moreland says. “The captains will take them out near the dolphins or drop a line and get them started to fish. The campers often end up catching something.”
The staff plans a morning, afternoon and evening activity for each of the campers.
The schedule is full, and the time flies.
So fast, in fact, that 50 years is already here.
Join the Helen L. Diller Vacation Home for Blind Children at these upcoming events:
Scan the code with your smartphone camera!
Community Open House
Saturday, May 28 · 11am-2pm
127 26th Street, Avalon
2022 Barefoot Ball
Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022
5-9pm · ICONA Windrift
105 80th Street, Avalon
Sponsorship and Ticket opportunities available – jgorecke@dillerblindhome.org
Donate Today!
dillerblindhome.org
