Ashley Siller says that her little girl Abbigail, 5, "thinks that she can't be happy while [her father] is away, like she's not supposed to have fun without him." Abbigail is just one of fifty campers who participated in Hartt Stearns' One World Theatre Camp this last week. Stearns received a Texas Resources for Iraq-Afghanistan Deployment grant with the San Antonio Area Foundation to create the camp, which is exclusively for children of deployed parents. Using the volunteered services of LifeSize Communications, a local high-definition videoconferencing company, the theatre-oriented summer camp was able to videotape its production of The Wizard of Oz so it could be seen live by parents now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Children (and spouses) were able to see the deployed parent on screen while they all watched the show. Afterwards, Siller said, "I loved being able to keep her involved, and it really comforted her." A bonus, says SIller, was being able to meet with other parents in such a fun and uplifting context. Here is a link to an article about the show.
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