Shane’s Cabin
“Instead of his birthday being a sad day, we had direction, and could honour a big part of Shane, turning the day into a celebration.”
This is what Alexa Usher-Jones had in mind when, alongside Michael Phillips, they came up with a special way to honour the legacy of her son, and his best friend, Shane McCarthy.
Shane passed away in September 2023 and is remembered by friends and family for his big, kind, unrelenting heart and his love and devotion to camp. Even after graduating and moving to Los Angeles, Shane returned each summer to Kilcoo Camp with his dog Kermit, to volunteer his time, mentoring campers and creating life-long memories with them.
To Alexa and Michael, sending kids to camp in Shane’s memory would be exactly what Shane would have wanted. Giving all kids the same chance to experience the magic of camp that Shane knew all too well.
With a goal and a new vision for a difficult day, Shane’s Cabin was born. The goal was to raise enough money to send a full cabin of Amici campers to camp for the average 2 week session in 2023.
Alexa organized a party to commemorate Shane’s birthday on May 24, 2023 and celebrate the incredible accomplishment of Shane’s Cabin. Together, the family and friends of Shane McCarthy surpassed their $12,000 goal and raised $16,209 to send 11 Amici campers to camp. Giving children from low-income households the opportunity to grow their confidence, independence and resilience, while forging life-long friendships. To Alexa and Micheal, this was Shane’s gift to camp.
Shane’s Cabin fundraiser will continue to support Amici campers to attend camp in summer 2024. On behalf of all Amici campers and their families, we would like to thank Alexa and Michael, and all the donors to Shane’s Cabin. We are grateful for you entrusting Amici to honour Shane’s memory with the gift of camp.
