CLARKSVILLE, Ohio — A family lost their son last June after a cliff diving accident. To honor Cory Ehrnschwender, his family donated $30,000 to Camp Joy, which will help send 30 kids to camp. However, the family tells us, their original goal started with 22, which was their son's number when he played sports.
"Cory had a really goofy inner-child personality and kids were drawn to him and he was drawn to kids and they just had a lot of fun together," said Celine Ehrnschwender, Cory's mother. "He loved the outdoors he was an avid outdoor adventurer, he went on hikes, he camped, he boated, he skied."
Cory was from Cincinnati and died while cliff-jumping at Lake Powell, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
The lake is located in southern Utah and northern Arizona in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. In any pictures of Cory, he's on the beach, in the mountains, sitting by a camp fire or just enjoying the beauty of the outdoors. His mother tells WCPO his life was all about exploring and enjoying the outdoors.
That's why the family wanted to give back in Cory's name that would be meaningful to him. They found Camp Joy.
"Every kid who comes to camp has the opportunity to grow and thrive in ways they may not have at home and we don't know how a kid may carry joy with them when they go home and into the world but that's the gift of this place," said Jen Eismeier, Camp Joy's executive director.
On Saturday, you saw the number 22 on jerseys and on pumpkins.
"He called himself Double Doucey McJuicy," Ehrnschwender said.
His mother said the family had a goal of raising $22,000 so 22 kids could go to Camp Joy. They reached the goal on Aug. 26, which is the same day the family held Cory's celebration of life.
"This funding helps continue that legacy it adds 22 more kids that wouldn't have got the opportunity to experience camp to be able to come to camp and that's huge for us," said Erin Policinski, Camp Joy's camp director.
"I feel like Cory was a part of that it was just unbelievable to us how quickly that it rose and that we hit that goal," Ehrnschwender said.
If you would like to make a donation to Camp Joy, you can send a gift here.
