NCJ Number
86561
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 30 Issue: 12 Dated: (December 1982) Pages: 16-19
Date Published
1982
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article describes the development of Trooper Island, a youth camp for boys from low income homes operated by the Kentucky State Troopers since 1966.
Abstract
Trooper Island is staffed primarily by troopers working voluntarily as counselors during their off-duty and vacation time. The program's underlying philosophy was that boys sent to camp for a week would get to know troopers as friends, developing respect for the law and rights of others that would help them resist temptations when they returned home. The original project faced many obstacles, principally funding and making the uninhabited island suitable for a camp. The troopers appealed directly to the public for funds and cleaned up the island themselves. In the first seasons, the Army provided equipment, but gradually a power plant, sewage disposal system, and cabins were built. The camp operated its first full 12-week season in 1969 with 500 boys attending, and by 1982 the number of boys had grown to 800. Additions have included an indoor recreation center, a chapel, a swimming pool, and a storm shelter which doubles as a theater. While transportation costs for the boys have increased substantially, the island's natural beauty has remained unspoiled. Camp routine follows a schedule fashioned along semimilitary lines with the accent on self-discipline. The boys are encouraged to govern themselves, although a trooper may intervene to offer advice. Many individuals, businesses, and service organizations have donated money, supplies, and equipment to Trooper Island, including the Optimists, Kiwanis, and Rotary clubs, the Kentucky Bankers' Association, and the Traveler's Protection Association. It has been the subject of local and national articles, television programs, and one short film. Photographs are included.