"It's better than I ever possibly imagined," says Hilary Axtmayer of the sprawling new $4.5 million Creative Complex at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford.
Axtmayer is chief program officer at the camp for kids with serious illnesses, founded in the 1980's by Hollywood and Connecticut legend Paul Newman.
The building, complete with a colorful "wild west" style facade reminiscent of the movies, replaces facilities that burned in a major fire on campus in February, 2021. No one was injured, and firefighters are credited with keeping the blaze from spreading to other buildings.
The new facility delivers fresh versions of classic camp features lost in the fire, including woodshop, arts & crafts, a cooking zone and the camp store, while adding a new parent-and-caregiver space and a quiet sensory space for kids who need a break from the excitement of camp.
Amarey Brookshire, 13, of West Hartford inspects a 4,500-piece mosaic mural in The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp's new Creative Complex, 3/21/23. Amarey has sickle cell anemia and is a regular at camp.Dave Mager/WTIC News
"We were able to add pieces that the other buildings did not have," says Axtmayer. "It's more accessible, it's inclusive, and I couldn't be more thrilled and excited for our families to be able to enjoy it."
The complex made its official debut Tuesday at a ribbon cutting attended by Gov. Ned Lamont.
"We've been scheming and dreaming for the last two years," says camp chief executive officer Jimmy Canton. "The community has just expanded to support our needs."
Newman's Own Foundation and Travelers/Travelers Championship each donated $1 million towards the effort.
Canton also credits more than 4,500 individual donors who came forward after the fire to help rebuild-- they are represented by the 4,500 pieces in the large mosaic mural inside the building. The mural reads, "Camp is magic. The magic is in you."
Amarilis Franjul of West Hartford agrees with that premise. Her daughter, camp regular Amarey Brookshire, 13, suffers from sickle cell anemia, a painful blood condition. Amarilis says camp activities bring much-needed distraction and joy to Amarey:
"When she's feeling this chronic pain that medicines are not able to help with, she can take her mind and concentrate and focus on something different, other than the pain, like arts and crafts... and when her mind is off of it... the pain starts to kind of relieve itself a little bit."
"Camp is really magical."
