…a graduate of Ashland University in Therapeutic Recreation and a former program staff member at ASCCA…

She reluctantly left for northern climates and worked at a YMCA camp in Pennsylvania for two years. Now, we’ve brought her back to ASCCA as the Director of Aquatics.

We have a video interview coming up, but first check out this audio podcast from Erin about her return.

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…this
could be a major step
in taking back her
old life…

Kim, who moved from Germany to Huntsville, AL at the age of three and is now the mother of a college-age son and daughter, attended Camp ASCCA’s Session 7 with Alabama Head Injury Foundation. When horseback riding showed up on the list of camp activities, Kim knew this could be a major step in taking back her old life.

Kim paused for only a moment before mounting ASCCA’s horse, Honey, and by Friday, she had ridden two of our three horses on three different occasions! One of those occasions was even a trailride, which Kim describes as “monumental.”

In her interview below, Kim tells about her accident, recovery, and her dream to teach people with disabilities to ride horses. Please hear this brave woman’s story and watch her take her first horseback ride at Camp ASCCA!

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Samantha Haggerty, or “Sam H,” (as opposed to “Sam T,” Samantha Trahan) will be a freshman at the University of Alabama this fall, and she spent her summer between high school and college as an ASCCA counselor. Since Mrs. Gaye has been cooking our meals for almost twenty years, Sam has spent quite a bit of time at Camp ASCCA and knows many of our returning campers.

One of these campers, C.C. Perry joined Sam in an interview at the pool just days before she left for her audition. The video is exemplary of camper-counselor relationships at Camp ASCCA, as Sam and C.C. joke with each other and Sam supports him in the water. Watch for yourself and see why we’re all so proud of her, member of the Million Dollar Band or not!

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…Jessica Guthrie is a two year veteran of all Camp ASCCA has to offer…

Jessica’s advice to new staff members is to “stick it out,” and “put your all into it.” That’s exactly what she’s done this summer, and her efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Jessica spent a week feeling under the weather, and unfortunately she had to go home to recover. She was determined not to miss any more of camp than she had to, and she was back in time for the next session and going strong. According to Jessica, that’s the kind of attitude required to get the most out of your time here!

Jessica spent five weeks at Camp ASCCA’s Dadeville Campus before the regular sessions started, which means she’s been working for several more weeks than most of our other staff. You might think being a counselor for such a long time would exhaust her, but Jessica says that each of her campers has been a “blessing.” Her favorite thing about camp is watching the campers’ expressions when they’re having fun, and the more people she can give that experience, the better!

The most important thing Jessica sees that the campers take with them after a week at Camp ASCCA is friendship, and she says she has found increased patience and a sense of responsibility. Meet Jessica by clicking the video below!

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…Evan wouldn’t spend his summer anywhere else…

As a counselor, Evan’s responsibilities were far heavier than the ones he held as a CIT, and he did more than just meet the challenge. At the end of Session Five, Evan was voted Counselor of the Week by his fellow staff members!

Evan spent his entire summer at Camp ASCCA and has even been coming back to volunteer since school started. He says he wouldn’t spend his summer anywhere else, and that Camp ASCCA is like family to him. That statement is more literal for Evan than for some of our other staff members–Evan’s brother, Jeff, works year-round at ASCCA and was once a counselor himself. The brothers grew up in Dadeville, AL, so breaking away would be tough for the two of them!

In the video below, Evan speaks out on various events this summer and what Camp ASCCA means to him. Please watch to hear about Camp ASCCA from his perspective!

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…Katie has learned that you just never know what to expect at Camp ASCCA…

During Session Four, Encore Week, Katie was helping a camper reel in a fish at the pond.  In only a matter of seconds, someone accidentally knocked her camera, full of photos from the week, into the water! Disappointed as she was, Katie was a real trooper and finished out the week as energetically and positively as she began it.  Luckily, the Camp ASCCA staff knows what it means to be a team, and everyone pooled together to create a “Katie Camera Fund” to help her buy a new one!

Katie is a student at Florida State University and is majoring in Special Education.  Needless to say, Camp ASCCA won’t be her first or last experience helping people with disabilities!  Katie says that Camp ASCCA showed her that she underestimated her capacity for patience and convincing people to try new things.

Meet Katie and one of her campers, Amy, in the video below.  The video is a great example of how much fun our campers and counselors have together, plus you’ll hear a little more about Katie’s experience and goals!

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…Stuart’s energy and personality rub off on anyone around him…

Stuart, or just “Stu,” has loads of energy and personality, which rub off on anyone around him. Throughout the summer, he has donned some pretty crazy outfits solely for his campers’ entertainment. He was a glittery version of patriotic on the Fourth of July, wore a mullet wig on more than one occasion, and at the eighties dance, he could have stepped right out of Footloose or The Breakfast Club.

Besides all of the laughter he brings to Camp ASCCA, Stuart takes great care of his campers and has made many, many friends this summer. Watch the video below to hear all about Stuart’s camp experience, from applying for the job to talking to past campers on the phone. It also provides a great display of some of our camp activities!

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…anytime Ashlie could see the campers having fun was a joy…

Ashlie heard about Camp ASCCA through fellow counselor Samantha Haggerty, and the two girls decided to work together for the summer. Ashlie is beginning her freshman year at Auburn University this week, where she plans to study theater performance.

Ashlie says her favorite camp activities this summer were the pool and arts and crafts, but anytime that she could see the campers having fun was a joy! That’s why she especially loved Teen Week–the Teen Week campers have a different energy about them than our adult or child campers, and they love to talk about how much fun they’re having!

There were a few difficult aspects of being a counselor for Ashlie, like wheelchair transfers, but her constant smile hid any doubts she held! She also appreciated being able to completely be herself at camp. To meet Ashlie and see that smile for yourself, click on the video below!

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Lauren is from Austin, Texas and she just finished her second year at Camp ASCCA. Her calm, capable nature is amazing and is a huge asset wherever she’s needed–at showertime, mealtime, or at the zipline! The zipline is a favorite activity for many campers just for its excitement, but more than a few campers talked about going to the zipline “just to see Lauren.”

She’s only been gone a week, but Lauren’s presence is already missed at Camp ASCCA! She’s hoping to begin nursing school soon, and from what we’ve seen at camp, we know she’ll do a great job. Hopefully, school won’t keep her too busy to come back next year!

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…the most valuable asset, the counselors have always been known as the foundation of ASCCA…

Leesa is from Childersburg, Ala. and studies Speech Pathology at the University of Alabama. Some of her classes really came in handy when one of her campers communicated only through sign language! I happened to sit at her lunch table that week, and she and her camper, Heather, patiently helped me learn to sign so that I could join their conversation.

Another counselor, Holly Stewart, knows Leesa through school and told her about Camp ASCCA. Holly must have sensed that Leesa would be a great counselor, because both girls have received the award for Counselor of the Week over the summer. Leesa says she has tried her hardest for the campers’ sake all summer, and getting the award confirmed that her efforts were working!

The biggest lesson Leesa says the summer has taught her is humility. She has had to put others first all summer, but seeing the campers try and love new things is rewarding. Her favorite activities are the zipline, because of the sense of accomplishment and adventure it gives the campers, and the pool, because some of our campers rarely experience the freedom of movement and indepence that floating in the water provides.

Leesa’s camper, Cierra, joined her for an interview last week, and you can watch both of them by clicking the video below! Hear from Cierra’s point of view why Leesa is such a great girl, and let Leesa tell you a little more about her Camp ASCCA experience!

Did you know that Camp ASCCA is in Facebook? If you are too, please go on over and “Friend” Camp ASCCA and join the Camp ASCCA Facebook group, too.

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