(Written for The Meteor February 18, 2019)
Thursday, February 21, is Mississippi’s Toughest Kids (MTK) Camp Kamassa Day at the state Capitol. At 10:00 a.m. on the second floor rotunda of the Capitol, a press conference will be held that day to announce an Air Drop Mission at the Camp Kamassa construction site in Copiah County on Thursday, February 28. Following the press conference, MTK Day at the Capitol will be held 11:00 – 3:00 p.m. on the First Floor, East Wing.
MTK, in partnership with the Department of Defense’s Innovative Readiness Training Program (IRT), the U.S. Air Force Reserves Command, and the Mississippi National Guard, will announce the details regarding the Air Drop Mission in which enormous tool kits will be dropped onto the construction site by a Mississippi Chinook Aircraft. The B-1-111 CH47 Unit from Meridian will perform the mission. The public is invited to attend Camp Kamassa Day at the Capitol on February 21 and the Air Drop Mission at the construction site on February 28.
Members of the Air Force Reserves, Air National Guard, and Marine Reserves descended on Crystal Springs for their Final Planning Meeting before returning later this month to begin work on Camp Kamassa in 2019. Troops will be in Copiah County through August providing in-kind labor to build the facility. Military members receive valuable training opportunities that prepare troops for out-of-country deployments. Service men and women have been warmly welcomed by the community. They spend time in town, frequent businesses and restaurants, and boost the local economy. They have purchased building materials locally for the camp and with more troops and construction expected this year, the local economy will continue to reap the benefits.
The MTK Foundation is building Camp Kamassa which will be Mississippi’s first year-round, fully handicap accessible, camp facility for children and adults with serious illnesses, physical and mental challenges and other special needs. MTK has partnered with the IRT in constructing the facility. The IRT was developed by the Department of Defense in an effort to partner military units with communities on projects that prepare troops for deployment while supporting local communities. The Air Drop scheduled on February 28 will serve as a kick-ff event for the work the military will do to assist in the construction of Camp Kamassa.
