For the first time in its 40-year history, Children’s Association for Maximum Potential (CAMP) has shuttered its spring and summer programming (Camp CAMP). This is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a media release announces.
“CAMP has been closely monitoring all that is going on in locally and throughout Texas and the nation, and carefully considering all information, including new guidance released this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Texas Governor’s Office, and the American Camp Association,” says Susan Osborne, CEO of CAMP since 2012 (and Director of Operations 7 years before that).
“Because the health and well-being of our Campers is our number one priority, followed closely by their families, our counselors, Health Care volunteers, and our staff, we came to the decision that we must cancel our in-person summer programming in 2020 at our incredible 55-acre camp on the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country.”
Since 1979, Camp CAMP has provided safe and fun-filled recreational experiences year-round for individuals with special needs. Due to the severity of their disabilities, many of the individuals now served by CAMP are not eligible to attend other camps, or even participate in other agency programs offered within the special needs community.
Year-round, CAMP programs alleviate medical, physical, developmental, social, and intellectual barriers for more than 1,600 campers from all over Texas (and beyond) by adapting activities to allow full participation. CAMP serves individuals (aged 5 – 50) with mild to severe disabilities from diagnosis with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, spina bifida, visual impairment, and/or hearing impairment, the release explains.
Looking ahead to its school-year programming, Osborne adds that CAMP is determined to resume in-person programs at the best time and in the best ways possible, even if those programs look different (requiring smaller groups, continued social distancing, or other best practices).
“Being able to reunite in-person as a CAMP family is always our favorite way of connecting, but world events have made that impossible since the middle of March this year,” adds Brandon G. Briery, PhD, Chief Program Officer/Executive Camp Director of CAMP, in the release. “Our team has been working to find new ways to support our Campers and their families from afar through our ‘Virtual Spring 2020’ programs on our website, which we will expand in the weeks ahead.”
CAMP will provide refunds for any payments made for Summer Camp as promptly as possible.
CAMP’s summer programs account for over half of the organization’s revenue and could have a monumental impact on the nonprofit’s finances. Any donation can help in these unprecedented times of global pandemic. Visit CAMP to learn more or to donate, per the release.
[Source(s): CAMP, PRWeb]