A huge thank you to Steve Kollasch, Bancroft, IA for delivering and donating three new hospital beds to Camp in memory of  his son, Danny…  Steve knows well the importance of these beds.  Steve’s son, Danny, had Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, and was a regular at Camp Courageous up to his passing.  Helping Steve is Beth Pedersen.

Long time Camp Courageous Camper, Dan Kollasch, 29, of Bancroft, IA passed away, leaving a wonderful legacy for others to follow, particularly those with Muscular Dystrophy.  Danny had many friends and influenced many people, as was illustrated by his visitation and funeral, at the huge church in Bancroft, which overflowed with people grieving Danny’s loss.

His obituary read, “Danny enjoyed one week each summer attending Camp Courageous in Monticello, Iowa from 2000-2019 where he met lifelong friends and got into a lot of mischief. Going to camp brought the biggest smiles to Danny’s face as he could be just like other kids. It was always a week to be remembered and he looked forward to it each year.”

Dan’s sister, Steph, was a Family Care Specialist at the Muscular Dystrophy Association and coordinated the Muscular Dystrophy Week at Camp Courageous for many years.  Steph was also exceptionally good at telling what it was like to be a sibling of a person with Muscular Dystrophy, or any disability.  Steph wrote, “Dan had every reason to complain each day, and while there were days where he was sad or angry, I never once heard Dan complain. Never. Once. Which speaks volumes to his character. “