Camp Courageous is deeply saddened by the passing of John Morrow, 73, of Bettendorf, IA.  Camp first met John through a Camp program to the Quad City Morning Optimist Club, years ago.  John and his wife, Katie, instantly became regular donors of time and resources.  When John came to volunteer a day with the Quad City Morning Optimist Club, at Camp, there was going to be work accomplished.  John was one of those that once you met him, you never forget him.  Everything John did…he did to the maximum humanly possible.  His message of inspiration and hard work can be applied to just about anything in life and is a clear message that through diligence and commitment, just about anything is possible. Intellectually, John was brilliant.  He was a very fit person, which is an understatement.   When we first met, he was trying to break the Guinness Book of World Records for sit-ups. He broke the Guinness Book of World Records by completing 123 backhand push-ups in just one minute.  Morrow was known for his annual fitness challenge on his birthday, where he did 1,000 push-ups, 1,000 sit-ups, and 1,000 leg lifts in one hour to raise money for the local children’s charities…which included Camp Courageous over the years.  As a teen, John was exposed to the Japanese combat art of judo, which ignited what would become a lifelong passion and career in martial arts.  He opened Morrow’s Academy of Martial Arts in 1978 where he taught Shaolin Chuan Kung-fu to thousands of Quad Citians for nearly 50-years.  John’s wife, Katie Bentler Morrow, is the daughter of LeRoy Bentler, who was one of those first Petroleum Marketers to come to Camp Courageous in 1981 and took Camp under their wing.  LeRoy was a major donor from 1981 to his passing in 2013.  His son, Larry Bentler, continues in the Petroleum Business and carries on LeRoy’s tradition as did John and Katie.  Camp’s sincere sympathy goes out to Katie, family, and friends.  What an incredible legacy John leaves in his family, his students, and his giving back to help others…

-Charlie