There is no love like the love of Camp ASCCA! As we get closer to Summer 2018, we are getting more and more excited to reunite with all of our camp friends, old and new. We have big plans for this summer, and cannot wait to share a few surprises with everyone.
My name is Brandon. I’m 22, and I’ll be 23 on January 23. I’m a sophomore at Miles College. I was born with a muscular disease called SMA ( Spinal Muscle Atrophy), and when I was born the doctor told my mom after I was diagnosed with my disease that she would only see me for the maximum of 2 years. Later down the road, I had a severe surgery to keep my spine in place. I was about 10 when this surgery happened. About 3 years later, my lungs collapsed, I flatlined at the hospital once in ICU, but only for a brief second.
This week, Amber Cotney and I traveled to Mobile for one of our first ASCCA on the Road adventures of 2018. Our first stop on Monday was at the University of South Alabama to visit two therapeutic recreations classes as a part of our staff recruitment efforts. We spent time with each class breaking down who we are as an organization and what it means to be a staff member and work with the campers who visit each summer.
My name is Jonathan VanSteenburg, and I have cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy affects all my muscles and my speech. I am a wheelchair user. I have been going to Camp ASCCA since 2006. Camp ASCCA is in a small town called Jackson Gap, AL (located on the beautiful Lake Martin). All of their staff are caring and loving. During the summer, Camp ASCCA has week-long sessions where people with disabilities can do fun things that they don’t normally do at home.
Each year, we have many individuals and families make donations to Camp ASCCA because they believe in what we do and want us to be able to continue serving people with disabilities every summer. On other occasions, we even have businesses offer support through annual giving. One specific business, Alliance Communications Management, has continued to give to Camp ASCCA since 2008 through monthly giving.
Hello readers, welcome to Camp ASCCA’s Guest Blog! My name is McCartney, and I’m hoping to be a regular guest blogger here! In my posts, my goal is to help people better understand disabilities and the people who are affected by them. I can’t speak for everyone with a disability, but I can at least try my best to help people on the outside understand people like myself.
On Friday afternoon, campers and staff arrived for a festive ASCCA Christmas weekend on the banks of Lake Martin at Camp ASCCA. The weekend was set out to be a cold one, and it was certainly that. Once all campers – returning and new – had checked in, everyone came together in the dining hall for dinner followed by a special Christmas activity in the gym. As everyone gathered together for the first event of the weekend, hot chocolate and treats were distributed to every cabin group.
At the annual Easterseals Alabama Awards Luncheon, individuals and organizations are recognized for their continued support of the many Easterseals facilities across the state. Yesterday, Administrator John Stephenson and Director of Marketing/Communications traveled to Montgomery for the event to show appreciation for the individuals who received special recognition and have supported Camp ASCCA for many years.
Camp ASCCA was recently invited to the Shelter & Social Services Trust Grant Awards presentation by the Central Alabama Community Foundation, and Director of Marketing/Communications Dana Rickman was there to represent Camp ASCCA. Today, we received a Technical Assistance Grant of $2,500 from the Central Alabama Community Foundation (CACF).
We are gearing up for the annual ASCCA Christmas Weekend and Jingle Jump coming up next week and cannot wait to celebrate the holidays with our closest friends! We also recently released the winter edition of the Camp ASCCA Good Times, so grab your favorite hot drink and warm blanket for an afternoon of cozy reading.
This weekend, the Atlantic Pacific Tang Soo Do Federation hosted their Southeastern Regional Black Belt Camp onsite here at Camp ASCCA. Instructors and students arrived throughout the day on Friday and went through an orientation before the activities began. Throughout the weekend, they completed training activities and certification exams for students and instructors from across the Southeast. Everyone also had the opportunity to enjoy a few ASCCA programs with Outdoor Education Director Cody Graham and his weekend staff members on Saturday.
At the end of each summer, the Camp ASCCA Summer Staff selects that year’s Camp ASCCA Camper of the Year. The staff comes together to nominate ten campers, and the field is voted on and narrowed down to the top three. Then, an additional vote takes place on the top three, and the individual receiving the highest number of votes is named the Camper of the Year. The staff members choose the nominees based on what makes each one special and how their summer experience was that year.
Located in Alabama on Lake Martin, Camp ASCCA offers campers a wide variety of traditional recreational and educational activities with a unique design for accessibility.
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