Press Release

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RELEASE DATE: August 28, 2009

Newman's Own Foundation and Hole in the Wall Camps Host Seriously Ill Iraqi Children for Week of Camp and Treatment

FLORENCE, ITALY — Today, after a week of laughter and fun in the heart of Tuscany, the first-ever Hole in the Wall Camp session for twenty-one seriously-ill Iraqi children concluded. In partnership with Newman’s Own Foundation, Hole in the Wall Camps, Project Hope, and the Iraqi Pediatric Hospital in Basra, these campers – all between the ages of seven to twelve – joined twenty Italian and twenty German children at Dynamo Camp for recreational and therapeutic activities. Like all Hole in the Wall Camp sessions, this week was free of charge to all campers.

“Paul Newman said that camp reaffirmed everything he thought was good and generous about this world,” said Robert Forrester, president and CEO of Newman’s Own Foundation. “This camp session is another testament to that belief. The program represents the best of American, Italian and Iraqi character and cooperation.”

Dynamo Camp staff worked closely with Tuscan government officials, the Italian Mission in Iraq, and the Iraqi Ministry of Health to coordinate the session and traveling documents. The Iraqi campers were accompanied to Italy by four camp counselors, an English-speaking Iraqi doctor, and ten support staff to assist with social and cultural integration. In addition, the camp session received recognition and further support from the United States government.

Earlier in the week, United States Consul General in Florence Mary Ellen Countryman visited Dynamo Camp – one of eleven Hole in the Wall Camps around the world – to witness the success of the program. “The children’s joy and the easy way they come together, even though they are from different worlds, are a testimony to the passion with which you guide these youngsters through the Camp’s activities,” said Countryman.

Following a tour of the camp, Vice President of Dynamo Serena Porcari and the Consul General agreed to work together to recruit Italian-speaking Americans from among the over forty U.S.-university programs in the Florence consular district to volunteer at future camp sessions.

The welcoming of these Iraqi campers is a significant aspect of a larger commitment that Paul Newman and Newman’s Own Foundation have made to reach out to children in the Middle East. Soon after the war in Iraq began in 2003, both Paul and the Foundation helped more than 100 cancer-stricken Iraqi children receive medical treatment in neighboring countries. Additionally, the Foundation has played an instrumental role in assisting to rebuild the Iraqi healthcare system and retrain pediatric health professionals. This includes a $300,000 grant to support Project Hope in training doctors and nurses from the new Basra Children’s Hospital.

“The Hole in the Wall Camps and Newman’s Own Foundation continue to do amazing work for children across the world,” said Connecticut Congressman John B. Larson, chairman of the United States House of Representative’s Democratic Caucus. “Having personally witnessed the devastating conditions in Iraq, I know their efforts and this camp experience will have lasting impact.”

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