Our Neighbor Hero: Making A Difference For Deserving Kids

We're sure our neighbor Karen Mack would not call herself a hero, but we definitely would.She used our recent neighborhood wide Mesa Verde garage sale to have a fundraiser to raise money for scholarships to send deserving children with Tourette Syndrome to Camp George.  She took what others might consider trash, and turned it into treasure; making a difference for deserving kids.Camp George is a sleep-away camp, named after the namesake of Tourette Syndrome, occurring every summer in late July for 4 days and 3 nights for children 7-15 years old and their families.It is a great way for the kids to feel like everyone else, in a comfortable and safe environment.  While the kids participate in arts and crafts, swimming, sports, horseback riding, camp fires, etc. the parents attend programming and support groups, and informative lectures with specialists in the areas unique to Tourette Syndrome, a neurological condition characterized by physical and verbal tics.Karen Mack and her family began attending Camp George when her son was younger as her son has Tourette Syndrome. Now her son is a volunteer youth support staff member and her daughter is a volunteer counselor. The experience they had at camp was so positive they wanted to give back by helping camp attendees.  Like Mom, they also helped fund raise during our neighborhood wide Mesa Verde garage sale. Her son went down the street and spun a fundraising sign directing people to their home. Her daughter also sold cupcakes to help boost sales. They raised enough to fund two scholarships!We at Torelli Realty were so inspired by this act of generosity and selflessness that we sent over $500, hopefully enough to send two more kids to this wonderful camp.If anyone is interested in also helping raise funds for these deserving kids who otherwise might not have the opportunity to attend this camp checks can be sent directly to the local Tourette Syndrome chapter – 5042 Wilshire Blvd #18690, Los Angeles or drop a check off at Torelli Realty and we will make sure it gets to them.Our hats are off to our treasure of a neighbor – Karen Mack! You never know what you will find at a garage sale!