Campers, careers, and meeting Mariah Carey
When children in Fresh Air Fund programs head out to a farm, they usually meet the likes of Joseph, a rugged old sheep, and Cindy, a black and white cow, two of the farm animals that provide part of the city children's camp encounters with country life. But on Thursday, six children who attended one of the fund's camps arrived at a different kind of farm near Toronto to meet someone of a little more stature: the singer Mariah Carey.
The children, most of whom had expressed an interest in the film industry, were participating in a career orientation program offered by Camp Mariah, the fund's career awareness camp. It is a summer sleep-away camp that shows the children something about their career interests, and lets them visit adult role models at work. Camp Mariah is one of five camps in Fishkill, N.Y., operated by the fund, a nonprofit agency. The fund also provides free summer vacations to children from low income neighborhoods in New York City by pairing city children with rural and suburban host families.
The camp is named for Ms. Carey, who gave $1 million for its establishment in 1994 and 1995. The campers share a particular interest in the singer, who visits every summer. They make a commitment to attend the camp for three years, and the newer arrivals pepper the old hands with the most important question: "Have you met Mariah?"
This year Ms. Carey did not have a chance to visit the camp because she was filming her first movie, "All That Glitters," which is based on her life. Instead, she invited six campers interested in the film industry to spend a day with her and the crew on location in Toronto as they shot some scenes.
The children, four girls and two boys age 12 or 13, flew to Toronto to see some of the behind-the-scenes work of making a film. Some campers had never been on an airplane before, but the highlight of their day came when they met Ms. Carey, who has had more No. 1 songs than any other woman. On a farm outside the city, the children watched her and a crew of about 60 people run through several 78-second takes of the movie's final scene. Afterward, Ms. Carey, dressed in the beige evening gown used in the scene, greeted them.
Daniel Potts, who attended the camp for the first time this summer, was obviously excited. "I'm so nervous I'm shaking," he acknowledged as the singer approached. "I'm scared of her." But he was able to overcome his fear. A few hours later, when Ms. Carey met the children again, he was the first to ask her a question: "Did you make the script?" (The answer: She helped revise it, but did not write it.)
Children who go on the career excursions, which take place before or after the four weeks they spend at the camp, watch adults at work. They tour companies like management consultants, fashion design studios and television networks to hear adults talk about their jobs and how they prepared for them. In addition to meeting Ms. Carey during the visit to Toronto, the children saw many aspects of a movie production. Peter Grondy, the film's art director, showed them how he and his crew would make Copps Coliseum in Toronto look like Madison Square Garden did in the past.
"We researched what Madison Square Garden looked like in 1983," he told them. "We'll be matching the seat colors and covering up the signs." The children also walked through the sawdust-covered cement studio, where a crew was building an apartment set, and spoke with the film's co-star, Max Beesley, who advised them on how to become an actor and how to change a natural London accent to something a little more New York.
For most of their tour, they were joined by Isabel Gomes, 11, who plays the young Mariah Carey character in the film. At the end of the day Ms. Carey took the children aside, away from the cameras and the handlers and the assistants, to talk to them about making a movie and encourage them to follow their dreams.
Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible contribution to the agency may call (800) 367-0003 or visit the Web site, www.freshair.org, or send a check to the Fresh Air Fund, 1040 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10018. (The New York Times)
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