What started as an exciting summer adventure for young Michael Stewart ended in tragedy. This incident has raised serious concerns about the camp’s safety measures and has led to a full investigation.
On Monday, at Liberty Lake Day Camp in Burlington County, New Jersey, six-year-old Michael Jeffrey Stewart drowned on his very first day of camp. This heartbreaking news has left Michael’s family in deep grief and has shocked the whole community.
Michael’s mother, Enjoli Stewart, shared her deep sadness and frustration with the camp. “Liberty Lakes messed up. Big time. And now I don’t have a son anymore. That’s heartbreaking,” she told FOX 29.
Michael had been looking forward to his first day at the camp, not knowing it would be his last. He was set to attend the camp for several weeks, and Enjoli had spent thousands of dollars to ensure he had the best experience. She said:
“I did everything I could to make sure he was placed in the right school and the right camp.”
The incident happened during the afternoon swim period for campers who were entering first and second grades.
Camp officials reported that a lifeguard found Michael unresponsive in a shallow pool. The lifeguard quickly pulled him out of the water and tried to perform CPR.
Despite the attempts to save him, Michael was pronounced dead at a local hospital later that day.
Michael’s life was a fight from the beginning. Born as a micro-preemie at just 23 weeks and weighing only one pound and three ounces, doctors had not expected him to survive.
Despite the odds, Michael defied expectations with his mother’s relentless advocacy and unwavering faith. He grew into a bright, loving, and caring boy whose resilience and passion for learning won the hearts of everyone who knew him.
“Michael taught me how to fight and he taught me to fight without using my hands,” Enjoli said. “He taught me how to fight in a different manner.”
Michael was especially close to his younger sister, Layla. They enjoyed playing basketball and baseball together. Enjoli described her son as “extremely smart,” with an impressive vocabulary.
Enjoli described Michael as a curious child who loved learning new things. He was excited about starting piano classes, which were next on his summer to-do list.
Liberty Lake Day Camp, which had just opened for the summer on the day of the incident, expressed their sorrow in a statement.
Camp founder Andy Pritikin wrote, “All of us at Liberty Lake Day Camp are devastated and grieving over the tragic passing of our young camper. This senseless tragedy took a life that was far too young. There are no words that feel appropriate enough to capture our heartache and mourning.”
Michael’s mother was talking to a coworker about her son’s excitement for the camp when she received the heartbreaking news.
“Someone asked me how my day was going, and I told them about Michael and how he fell asleep the night before with his goggles on,” she said. “He was so excited about swimming, and then my phone rang. I was told I needed to rush to Mount Holly-Virtua.”
The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and Mansfield Township police are investigating the incident. An autopsy was conducted on Tuesday by the Burlington County medical examiner.
Enjoli has raised concerns about the camp’s safety protocols. She noted that Michael, a beginner swimmer, was supposed to be in an instructional swim class, but it did not take place.
She also pointed out that Michael was assigned a one-on-one aide who was meant to be with him at all times. However, that aide is still employed at the camp.
Pritikin acknowledged that typically, staff members do not conduct instructional swim classes on the first day of camp.
The camp employs 25 lifeguards certified in first aid, CPR, and the use of AEDs, as well as three registered nurses.
Despite these measures, Enjoli believes more should have been done to prevent her son’s death. She suggested that, out of respect for her family, the camp should have closed the pool for 24 to 48 hours following the incident.
However, Pritikin stated that experts advised continuing camp activities, emphasizing that the safety and well-being of campers and staff are their top priorities.
Michael was a rising first-grade student in the Lumberton School District. The district released a statement expressing their deepest condolences to the Stewart family.
In support of the family, a lemonade stand fundraiser will be held at the Old Fire House on Main Street in Lumberton on Saturday. This event is especially meaningful because Michael loved making lemonade and hosting lemonade stands in his neighborhood.
Additionally, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the Stewart family with funeral and memorial expenses. The campaign highlights Michael’s remarkable journey, from his premature birth to his joyful life.
Michael was a rising first-grade student in the Lumberton School District. The district released a statement offering their deepest condolences to the Stewart family.
To support the family, a lemonade stand fundraiser will be held at the Old Fire House on Main Street in Lumberton on Saturday. This event is especially meaningful because Michael loved making lemonade and hosting lemonade stands in his neighborhood.
Additionally, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the Stewart family with funeral and memorial expenses. The campaign highlights Michael’s remarkable journey from his premature birth to his joyful life.
The campaign organizer shared how doctors initially gave Michael little chance of survival. “Michael’s mother refused to believe that, and with every ounce of her strength, advocacy, and faith, fought for his life,” the campaign states.
Seeing Michael grow into a wonderful little boy filled Enjoli’s heart with joy. Unfortunately, that joy was cut short. Michael is remembered for his kindness and his heart of gold.
Not only was Michael a loving presence for his mother and younger sister, but he also touched the lives of everyone around him.
“The family is in need of a lot of support at this time, as you can imagine,” the GoFundMe campaign states. “We are asking for your help in raising money for Michael Jeffrey and his family so that he can be given the funeral and memorial services that he deserves to honor his life. Anything you can give to the family is much appreciated.”
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The update also mentioned another GoFundMe campaign started by Lumberton Township in response to the tragedy.
The Stewart family expressed their gratitude for this additional support and encouraged people to contribute to any of the fundraising campaigns.
In response to the incident, Liberty Lake Day Camp has made its clinical social worker available for counseling to those affected. The camp has also pledged to continue its summer program with a heightened emphasis on safety measures.
“Does anyone know what this is?” I found it in a bag of kitchenware items at the secondhand store.
You’re not alone if you’ve ever been left wondering what the purpose of a weird kitchen appliance is when you’re staring at it. We’re going to solve the puzzle of one such tool—the onion and vegetable slicer—today.
Have you ever found it difficult to cut vegetables, such as onions, evenly? Do you wish you could get those perfectly thin slices faster and more effectively? You don’t need to search any farther! Maybe an onion and vegetable slicer is the answer you’ve been looking for.
What what is an onion and vegetable slicer, then? It’s essentially a kitchen utensil that makes slicing onions and other veggies very easy. Usually, these useful devices have a base with slots or blades.
An onion and vegetable slicer’s main goal is to produce accurate, consistent slices. This tool helps you create uniform thickness in your slices, which is very useful when you’re cooking or plating items that need to be cooked evenly.
An onion and vegetable slicer is very simple to use. As you cut, it gives the vegetables support and stability. It is especially useful for little or asymmetrically shaped veggies that are difficult to hold stable in your hands alone. You’ll save time and work in the kitchen because the blades or slots are made to cut food into thin, even slices.
Vegetables were traditionally sliced by hand using knives. But as technology developed, people started creating tools to speed up and improve the efficiency of the process. Adjustable blade manual vegetable slicers first appeared in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With the help of these slicers, users could quickly achieve a level of precision that was difficult to achieve by hand by adjusting the thickness of the slices.
Significant developments in kitchen equipment also occurred with the onset of industrialization. The mid-1900s saw the rise in popularity of electric food slicers. Onions and other vegetables could be sliced with these devices, which are frequently used to slice meats and cheeses.
Manufacturers realized over time that they needed specialized slicers made just for onions and other vegetables. Usually, these slicers included slots or blades designed to cut thin, even slices. They gained popularity among home cooks who wished to expedite the process of preparing meals.
You may be asking where to get an onion and vegetable slicer now that you know what one is. These culinary implements can be found in many different shops and online marketplaces. Here are some alternatives to think about:
Kitchenware Stores: Look into specialty cooking supply stores or kitchenware stores in your area. They frequently have a large assortment of cooking tools, such as slicers for vegetables and onions. Ask the employees at the store for help or look for them in the kitchen tool department.
Online retailers: There are a ton of amazing kitchen gadgets available on the internet. Onion and vegetable slicers are widely available from major online retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target. To make an informed decision, you may quickly browse through several models, evaluate costs, and read user reviews.
Thrift Stores and Yard Sales: These locations, like the one where you discovered your mystery slicer, are excellent for finding reasonably priced kitchenware. You may find an excellent-condition onion and vegetable slicer for a fraction of the original cost.
Don’t forget to select a slicer based on your requirements and tastes. Think on things like the kind of veggies you’ll be slicing, the slicer’s size, and how simple it is to use and clean.
An onion and vegetable slicer can be a useful addition to your kitchen toolkit, regardless of your level of culinary expertise or need to streamline meal preparation. So go ahead and choose the one that works best for you, and bid adieu to irregularly sliced vegetables and onions!
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