Come Out to CAMPfest 2022 Sponsored by The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation and Experience CAMP Firsthand!
Everyone is invited to come out to CAMPfest this weekend, Oct 22, but please register by Oct 19, (see link below) in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.
CAMPfest 2022 is designed for individuals with special needs and their families to come out and enjoy CAMP in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Throughout the day, families can tour camp, experience activities (including a fun carnival), gather community resources, attend a Q&A session led by a senior camping staff, and get on-site application assistance. Individuals with disabilities or medical conditions as well as their siblings can enjoy traditional CAMP activities such as archery, outdoor cooking, and arts and crafts. Additionally, families can have their pictures drawn by a caricature artist, jump in the bounce house, have their face painted, and hang out at the petting zoo. A complimentary lunch is provided for all guests thanks to Ridout Barrett.
Since 1979, Children’s Association for Maximum Potential (CAMP) has provided recreational programming for individuals, aged 5 – 55, with disabilities and medical conditions. CAMP believes that all individuals—regardless of health, disability, race, or socioeconomic status—should be celebrated for who they are, in a setting where they belong, can have fun and grow in their independence and self-confidence.
Entry is FREE, but we ask guests to please register at bit.ly/CAMPfest by October 19th.
WHEN:
11 am – 3 pm, October 22, 2022
COST:
This event is free and open to the community. Free lunch provided by Ridout Barret & Co.
WHERE:
Camp CAMP, 515 Skyline Drive, Center Point, TX 78010
WHO:
More than 400 guests from the community who are former and prospective campers, along with their families will be in attendance.
CAMP Spokespersons:
Chief Executive Officer, Susan Osborne
Chief Program Officer, Brandon G. Briery, PhD
Chief Development Officer, Dianna M. Hopkins, CFRE
Director of Donor Relations, Lauren Weiss
CAMP Board members
Target Population: Year-Round & Summer Programs
- Children and adults– (aged 5 – 50) with mild to severe disabilities, who have diagnoses such as: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability, Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injury, Spina Bifida, visual impairment, and/or hearing impairment.
- Caregivers– Parenting becomes even more challenging and stressful when a child has special needs do to the rigorous and exacting care and medical routines. Caregivers often feel they don’t have an opportunity spend time with their other family members, or focus on their own self-care, as a significant amount of time must be dedicated to their child with special needs. Because of this, caregivers experience higher depression rates, higher rates of divorce, have higher rates of mental and physical health issues, and finances are constantly a struggle.
- Healthcare Professionals– Health Care professionals such as Doctors, Residents, Medical students, Nurses, Nursing students, and Respiratory Therapists are needed for most CAMP programs to ensure the medical needs of our campers and staff are met. CAMP’s health care volunteer opportunities allow medical professionals the opportunity to experience the day-to-day challenges, accomplishments, and care needs that our campers and their families face. Professional volunteers such as Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Case Managers, Teachers, Psychologists, Social Workers, and others assist counselors in providing the routine care needs of the campers and assist with activities.
- Volunteers- CAMP utilizes over 500 teen volunteers aged 15 – 19, with an average counselor age of 16. Our summer volunteer counselors dedicate a minimum of one week – or about 99 hours – of service, plus another week of training, and many serve far more than that. These volunteers come away from their experience with more compassion and empathy for those with special needs. However, maybe more importantly they develop traits such as self-confidence, independence, commitment, problem-solving skills, and character. These traits are not taught in school, but are invaluable in raising the leaders of tomorrow.
