Summer Camp Campaign

Tony Harbath-Smith doesn’t like to talk about his past.

He would rather discuss the future, because he has bright plans for it.

Tony is a 17-year-old high school senior with a 3.8 GPA, an LAPD cadet and a designated hitter on Fairfax High School’s varsity baseball team. Later this month, he will be a counselor-in-training at Jay Nolan Camp, an all-inclusive camp for kids with or without disabilities operated by Jay Nolan Community Services, an organization for children with autism and other development disabilities.

“I just love working with younger kids and kids with special needs,” says Tony, whose 13-year-old brother, Ethan, is autistic. “I hate seeing others get hurt, and I want to help people in need.”

This will be Tony’s fifth year at camp, where, in his second stint as a counselor-in-training, he will help organize activities and take care of the kids. One of the reasons he keeps returning, he said, is because of the way people are treated.

“In camp, everyone gets treated fairly,” Tony said. “Everyone gets the same amount of respect.”

It is this passion for fairness and his empathy that influenced Tony’s aspiration to be a police cadet and to volunteer at summer camp. Tony said that when he was in elementary and middle school, he was teased a lot. His mother, Diane Smith, said because of that experience, Tony always advocated for other kids who are bullied.

But he didn’t just defend them, Smith said. He also befriended them.

“All the kids love him,” Smith said. “He’s like a magnet to them.”

Smith adopted Tony was when he was 4 months old. Because he had been born addicted to cocaine and alcohol, he had seizures for 18 months. And an accident when he was two weeks old left his legs impaired, with doctors predicting that he would never walk. Smith refused to accept the prognosis and gave him constant therapy that helped restore his leg strength.

“He’s overcome a lot as a child,” Smith said. “He’s really strong now.”

Despite — or perhaps because of — his background, Tony is never short of compassion. He loves hanging out with his younger brother (also adopted) as much as he loves biking and playing baseball with his friends.

“I’m so proud of him,” Smith said. “He came upon these choices to make a difference on his own, and I think he is really contributing to other kids’ lives.”

Through the generosity of Times readers, along with a match by the McCormick Foundation, more than $1.6 million was granted last year by the Los Angeles Times Summer Camp Campaign.

The Summer Camp Campaign, part of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund, a McCormick Foundation Fund, supports programs that provide thousands of Southern California’s at-risk children ages 7 to 17 with enriching, educational and fun camp experiences.

Donations are tax-deductible as permitted by law and matched at 50 cents on the dollar. Donor information is not traded or published without permission. Donate online at latimes.com/donate or by calling (800) 518-3975. All gifts will receive a written acknowledgement.

[email protected]