In February, Cabot made a significant donation of drilling pipe earmarked for the salvage yard to the managers of Camp Freedom, a 1,800-acre retreat near Carbondale, PA, that provides outdoor healing adventures to individuals with disabilities, including veterans, first responders, their families and Gold Star families – those who are immediately related to a fallen service member.
“When it came to our attention that Camp Freedom needed materials to fence in large areas of their property, we worked internally to locate drill pipe that was stockpiled to be scrapped,” said Bill desRosiers. “In talking with folks from around the country, we learned that decommissioned drill pipe is often used as fence posts on large preserves.”
“We’ve found some incredible things to do with it,” Camp Freedom’s Executive Director, Matt Guedes, related, “predominantly fence- and gate-oriented.”
Camp Freedom opened in 2018, and its staff have immediately made a positive impression on the surrounding community and the clients they serve. “What they are doing there for wounded warriors and others is great,” said Johnnie Gentile of RLE Enterprises, who delivered the pipe with several other employees. “The feedback they are getting on how many lives they have saved with their programs is incredible.”
RLE Enterprises is a long-time partner and provider of equipment, materials and project management for Cabot with offices in Springville and other locations in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Gentile noted that RLE has been a supporter of Camp Freedom and owner Bill Backenberg from the start after Gentile was introduced to him by Cabot. “We’ve been on the ground floor there since day one helping to get it built,” Gentile remarked.
“Cabot admires the work Camp Freedom is doing and looks forward to finding more ways to support this tremendous organization,” desRosiers stated, adding that RLE has made much of the materials support possible. “Drill pipe is heavy and requires the right kind of equipment.”
“Cabot has been awesome to Camp Freedom on a lot of fronts,” Guedes offered, “from the top brass down to the employees.” In addition to financial support, he continued, Cabot has introduced Camp Freedom administrators to other businesses, like RLE, that have stepped up to support their mission. Gentile hopes to be called back to Camp Freedom to assist with the fence installation. “We’re willing to help them with any of their trucking, machine and welding needs,” he maintained.
