Melissa and Derrick Shambo have a good thing going just off Highway 66. Heading south through Blaine County, just before reaching the turnoff to Hays/Lodge Pole High School is 'Shambo Camp', a three bedroom home owned by the couple and a safe haven for area youth to hang out and relax in a comfortable setting.

Many throughout Blaine County, the Hi-line, and the hoards of avid Montana High School basketball fans know Derrick Shambo as Head Coach of the Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbird boys basketball team.

While it is true that Shambo has mentored the Thunderbirds for the past four years and has had his fair share of success in the process. It is also true the he and Melissa have done some really great things away from the court as well.

First things first, Derrick has made a name for himself as being a cornerstone for the basketball program going back to 2005 when his oldest son Tyson and his group of friends were just five. That dedication led to much success for the Thunderbird program, most recently a trip to the Class C State Tournament in March of 2019.

Along the way Derrick and Melissa have built a solid foundation at home, not only for their kids but for many of the kids in the local community. Their 2007 Suburban has more than 270,000 miles on it. Traveling with the weight of a full basketball team, even kids, takes its toll on vehicles and Derrick has had to put two new transmissions in the Suburban as well as a new transfer case while transporting the kids to tournaments in Montana and Idaho.

Both Derrick and Melissa have had their fair share of hardship. Both have struggled with drugs and alcohol early on in life and as Derrick puts it, "I was one of the worst, I was a binge drinker and thought I was missing out on something if I wasn't there."

Melissa had her own struggles and dealt with some tough hands while growing up but as Tyson started getting older and she could see the effect it was having on her kids, she along with Derrick joined the sober life.

Derrick and Melissa have five children, Tyson (19), Desmond (18), Deshawn (17), Chad (11) and Trayson (9).

The couple has been clean and sober since October of 2009, "The hardest part was missing the atmosphere, feeling like I was missing out on something when I really wasn't," said Derrick. "That lasted for a good two to three years."

"After we both quit, we lost a lot of 'so called friends and family' who seemed to always be at the house taking advantage of us," stated Derrick. "It's true what they say, you find out who your real friends are."

When basketball isn't at the forefront, the couple wants to continue to provide a source of stability for the local youth. "My grandparents Gilbert and Elizabeth Horn raised me and they were big volunteers within the community, but they were heavily involved in helping the adults and Powwows," explained Melissa.

"Derrick and I are very supportive of those things as well but we wanted to focus on the kids, make sure they were taken care of. Have a place to go to get something to eat or hangout," added Melissa.

Providing the kids with stability, structure and a belief that they can do bigger and better things is at the core of what Shambo Camp is all about.

"We want to see them go on to college, experience things away from the Reservation and be successful as adults wherever they choose to be," Melissa commented.

Shambo Camp was host to a drug and alcohol free party recently to ring in the new year. The group enjoyed some good food, played video games and were playing cards around the kitchen table when 2020 arrived.

With the cold of winter getting the kids outside as often as they would like can be more difficult, especially with school and the demands of basketball.

During the spring and summer Derrick and Melissa try to get the kids involved in outdoor activities as much as possible, "During the summer they ride horses a lot," said Melissa. "We also have a trampoline and a swimming pool. We want them to be active outside instead of being on social media or sitting in the house playing video games."

Of course being outside isn't just about the fun and games. "We want them doing something together with structure and stability, a lot of team building type of activities," added Melissa.

Shambo Camp is busy year around with two to six kids on average at the house during the weekdays of the winter school year and maybe six to 10 on the weekend.

During the spring and summer, with the warmer weather those numbers go up significantly. As many as twenty kids can be found at the home during the warm months with some staying the duration.

Some of the kids are in desperate need of the Shambo Camp experience, having come from broken homes or are being raised by their grand parents or are even raising themselves. Others come just because its a great place to be, but all earn their keep.

As Melissa puts it, "Their only a guest for one day after that they have earned the right to do chores." What do the kids do to earn their keep, "Dishes, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, whatever needs to be done. Sometime there is a fence that needs fixing or some work that needs to be done in the yard and the kids are great at taking care of it."

The reach of Shambo Camp is felt within the community as well, "Everyone seems to have gotten pretty accustom to Derrick and I being involved in what the kids are doing. From time to time someone will call Derrick in need of some help repairing something and he will gather up some of the kids and they will be on their way.

Shambo Camp is respected by those in the community and the kids themselves, "We won't enable our kids, or the kids that hang out here and people respect that. They won't come around here high or drunk," said Melissa.

During the summer Derrick is highly involved in making sure the kids stay active in their athletics. He provides access to the high school weight room and gym as many as six days a week.

The Thunderbird basketball teams, girls and boys, along with the football team are busy during the summer, especially the month of June. "Last year we played 24 to 26 games at the varsity level and we will look do keep doing that," Derrick stated.

Part of being able to compete in summer tournaments or weekday games against the likes of Chinook, Harlem and Dodson is that they make it into the weight room at least two times during the week. "This coming year I think I'm gonna bump that up to three, I know it's the summer and they have things going on but we'll see."

Shambo Camp provided local youth with an opportunity to ring in the new year in a safe drug and alcohol free environment. This group was still up playing cards around the kitchen table when the new year arrived.

All in all the opportunity and services that Derrick and Melissa provide to the community and to the kids of Hays and Lodge Pole is admirable and 'Shambo Camp' is a worthy name.