“County families host inner city children” from the August 15, 1974 Door County Advocate
Susie Weber, (left) daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Weber, Rt. 1, and her Chicago friend Sonya enjoy the potluck picnic held Wednesday for those participating in project Friendly Town.
County families host inner city children
Learning about farms and riding horses and in return reaching new found friends how to play jacks and “city kids” games is part of what Operation Friendly Town is all about.
Since Aug. 3 twelve children from Chicago’s inner city have been spending two week vacations in Door county as guests of six area families. Although. the program was originally started in the county by the pastor at the Immanuel Lutheran church of Baileys Harbor in 1967 there are no religious overtones connected with the program.
It doesn’t matter what faith the guest parents are but when an application form is made out it is necessary that a minister sign each application.
For the past seven years Mr. and Mrs. Don Kurtz have had the same two children as guests and Mr. and Mrs. Pat Quick have entertained the same girl for the past three years. These couples were most responsible for setting up arrangements this year. Transportation for the children was supplied by the Rev. and Mrs. David Harsh through the use of their van. The Quicks drove to Chicago to bring the 12 to Door county and back.
Families hosting children this year besides the Kurtzs and Quicks are Mr. and Mrs. Steve Wood, Mr. and Mrs. William Berg, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Weber and Mr. and Mrs. Ray Hoague.
The Chicago end of the program is organized by Margaret Brooks for the Martin DePorres House on Washington Blvd. Each family is required to have liability insurance and each child must be checked by the doctor before coming but other than that there are no rules.
According to Mrs. Kurtz the children are expected to live in a normal home setting in Door county which doesn‘t mean providing special entertainment. Most of the guest families have children and the Chicago kids and the Door county children have no problem finding something to amuse themselves.
Pastimes most enjoyed by the visitors include swimming, playing baseball and kickball, attending the Door County Fair, horse back riding and haying. The 12 in turn have taught their new found friends how to play jacks and other city games.
An even more beneficial result of the program has been the exchange of cultures between the two groups. The county children have learned something about life in the big city while the Chicagoans have learned what it is like to live in a tranquil setting such as Door county.
In 1967 when the program was started there was so much enthusiasm in the county that a school bus was needed to transport the group. Last year participation was down to three but this year it was back up again to 12.
The Quicks and Kurtzs are already making plans for bringing the children back next summer. Anyone with any interest can contact either family for more information. A notice will also be posted next spring when final arrangements are being made.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
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