CAMP OAKLAND: Success Stories

Please enjoy these stories of former Camp Oakland youth.

Their success is why we do what we do.

DEAN FORD

Camp Oakland Youth: 1984- 1988

Back in the mid 80s, a young man had no idea that his life is about to drastically change. While sitting in the school nurse's office, waiting for a much-needed meal, Dean Ford would soon be introduced to a caseworker named John J O'Brien. Mr. O'Brien would take young Dean to Children's Village where he would stay until he turned 14. As a 13 year old boy, he was now a ward of the state.


After a whirlwind of events, Dean was eventually taken to Camp Oakland- out in the middle of nowhere, Oxford, Michigan. And as a city boy, this was a complete 180 from what Dean was used to. Barns, horses, 300+ acres,... He wasn't sure where he was, but he knew he wasn't in the city any more. Dean would go onto live at Camp Oakland for four years until he turned 18. During his time at Camp Oakland, Dean was on the varsity football and basketball team at Oxford high school.


While the other kids at Camp Oakland were able to go home on home passes, unfortunately Dean did not have a 'home' to go home to. That is, until an unlikely couple, Ann and Calvin Butterworth came into his life. Wanting to help children and make a difference, the Butterworths and Dean formed a very special bond. During the weekends and holidays Dean would spend time at the Butterworth’s residence.


After graduating High School/Camp Oakland, Dean moved in with the Butterworths for the summer of 1988 before enrolling into the United States Army. Dean served in the army from 1988 to 1997. He was stationed in Georgia, New York, and even did 2 tours to Desert Storm in Iraq. While in the army, Dean discovered he was really good at fixing things like the base's video game consoles. He was actually so good at it, that they would pay him to fix the consoles every time the capacitors blew. Dean had found his niche. It's this moment when he discovered he would like to go into IT and help other fix things as well.


Once Dean was honorably discharged from the army, he moved back to Michigan where he enrolled in courses at O.C.C. For 2.5 years, Dean took courses at O.C.C while also working the night shift at the 7UP warehouse in Detroit. He was driven, determined and had his sights set on being in I.T. Once Dean finished his degree from O.C.C and got Microsoft certified, he then moved to Georgia in 2000 for his first IT job. That was 24 years ago. Dean is still living in Georgia and has a very successful IT career.


Recently, Dean came back to Camp Oakland and spoke with the youth that reside there. Dean shared his experiences with them, related to their situations and showed them that you can lead a successful life, despite the hand that you've been dealt. Dean's goal is to give these youth hope and to give back to the place that helped raise him in his teenage years. Success stories like Dean's are the reason we do what we do. Every child deserves a chance and look what can happen when they take that chance and run with it! So proud of you and all of your accomplishments Dean thank you so much for sharing your story with us.

JEFF GIBBS

Camp Oakland Youth: 1990-1992

Jeff Gibbs was a 12-year-old little boy when he was taken to Children’s Village in 1990 due to truancy and home incorrigibility. But before that, Jeff had been in every elementary school in the Pontiac school district, expelled in 4th grade for fighting, and even lived with his family in homeless shelters due to eviction. To say he had a rough upbringing, is an understatement. Jeff was the youngest of 3 boys, the other two were also in the juvenile system. During his time in Children’s Village, he broke out twice. The first time was due to being bullied by one of the older boys, a kid named Ron. And after the last time he broke out, they decided to place him at Camp Oakland.


When Jeff first arrived at Camp Oakland his hair was very long, all the way down to his low back. He remembers one of the first things that happened when he arrived is they cut his long hair down to a buzz cut. That, and before each of their daily home cooked meals, they said ‘grace’- “Rub-a-dub-dub, thanks for the grub.” (It’s funny the things that stick out to you when you are a young kid.)


The next thing that still remains fresh in Jeff’s mind, was his roommate at Camp Oakland. It was none other than that older boy who picked on him at Children’s Village, Ron. Funny enough, they actually became good friends with a common interest, middle school/high school football. (Back in the 1990’s, Camp Oakland would bus their youth to Oxford Schools, rather than having the school on campus like it is today. The youth were able to participate in sports, like football.) Jeff made quite a few good friends while at Camp Oakland, some even went on to play college football.

 Unlike the other kids at Camp Oakland, who would go on home passes on the weekends, Jeff was a ward of the state and didn’t have a ‘home’ to go back to. It got lonely when he was one of the only boys there on the weekends. It was because of this that he became quite fond of a few of the staff members, whom he would spend most of the weekends with. Mr. Driver, Mr. Rizzak, Mr. Louis, Mr. Urquhart and Ms. Beale are a few of the staff members who he had a special bond with and remains close to, to this day.


While attending Oxford middle school, Jeff would become close with his 8th grade teacher, Mrs. Kwiatkowski (Cindy). Noticing that Jeff was one of her only students who didn’t have a ‘home’ to go to after school and on weekends, she became curious as to what was Jeff’s situation. She made a call to Camp Oakland to find out his story. Upon learning that he was a ward of the state, she made a monumental gesture. She asked Jeff if he would like to come over on a day pass to her family home. As Jeff recalls, it happened to be the Rose Bowl that weekend and he was so excited to be able to watch the game with Mrs. Kwiatkowski and her family. While there, he remembers walking the family dog with Mr. Kwiatkowski (John) and just chit chatting with him. Unbeknownst to him, this was John’s way of vetting him to see if he would be a good fit for their family. That one-day pass turned into a two-day pass, then weekend passes, and eventually Cindy asked Jeff if they were to get their foster license, would he want to come live with them.

 On August 11, 1992, Jeff successfully left Camp Oakland and moved in with the Kwiatkowski’s and their 2 children. It was such a happy home, and Jeff finally got the love he so desperately deserved and needed. They wanted to adopt Jeff, but Jeff, as a young teen, knew that they would cease to receive money from the state to take care of him and didn’t want to burden them. But- legally adopted or not, Jeff was a part of their family and still is to this day, with his own children calling Cindy and John Grandma and Grandpa. Jeff went on to finish high school at Oxford, playing for the varsity football team and then went off to Ferris State earning a Bachelor of Science. Jeff currently works for UPS as a Senior Account Executive and has for the past 7+ years. Jeff thanks his friend who helped get him into sales, for “Seeing him not for who he was, but for who he could be”. Jeff currently lives in Oxford with his fiancé and their 2 girls. He is still close with his biological siblings and his ‘foster’ siblings and parents.


Jeff’s story is such a testament to how a change in a child’s environment can literally change/save their lives. We are so proud of you and all of your accomplishments, Jeff. Thank you so much for sharing your story.


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