MIA

Ok, ok.  I know we promised we'd be posting a lot more, but oh my goodness have we been busy!  This time of year is always a bit hectic, but throw in building a new building, having Faith and Sharing before camp instead of after, providing trainings to our summer staff and much more and you have one busy blogger!  We are getting so excited for summer though, and we hope you are too!

Our Camp Leaders are all heading home from college or finishing up their senior year of high school, so our training sessions have begun.  Our staff are all certified life guards which includes CPR, AED and first aide training.  I have been providing trainings for our new lifeguards.  They are also all certified in Professional Crisis Management (PCM) which is a program for de-escalating crisis behaviors if they arise. We also do an entire week of Camp Leader training from May 31st- June 5th.  This week is all about team building, learning the ins and outs of camp, and getting all of our activities and events set up and ready for our Campers to arrive.  We do DCF trainings, food handling trainings, and trainings on confidentiality and sensitivity training.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg!  When all is said and done, they are a well-trained staff!

More pictures of training and Camp Leader bios will be up soon!

Less than 20 days until our first official day of camp!
 

Baby Annie and CPR mannikin Steve can't wait for summer either!

Golf Cart Dreams

We have a few updates for you here at Camp I Am Special.

First, thank you to everyone who shared our job postings!  Prayers have been answered and we are working on the steps towards hiring some great additions to our camp family.

Summer is rapidly approaching.  How is April almost over?!  We are working hard every day to get everything ready for this summer, and we need your help!

Each summer, we rely on golf carts to help our staff do their jobs.  They are used to haul materials from place to place, to allow staff to get from point A to point B more quickly than walking, to transport Campers long distances when needed, to help the nurses get to Campers and Buddies quicker, and MUCH more.

At December Mini-Camp, our trusty old donated golf cart finally drove it's last trip to the dumpster and it is currently in our garage, broken down and defeated, waiting to be sent to the "Great Garage in the Sky".  It worked valiantly, serving our camp for years, but it seems like its years of services are over.

Last year, we were blessed with additional golf carts.  For the first two weeks of camp, we had 3 functional golf carts, but that quickly became two when our donated cart (the white one in the picture below) broke down over the summer for the first time.  It was repaired in time for December Mini-Camp, but unfortunately the repair wasn't enough.

"The Fleet"

The two green carts in the picture were rentals that were graciously paid for by a donor last year.  They were a wonderful blessing to our staff.  We use the golf carts countless times through out the day.  Here are just a few of the tasks that are aided by the use of a golf cart:

1. Taking trash to the dumpster.  Taking heavy trash bags to the dumpster can be accomplished much quicker and much easier by loading up the golf cart and taking 1 trip instead of a dozen.  This allows our staff to spend more time playing with our Campers and helping our Buddies.

You know you hired a great staff when they are this excited to take out the trash!

2. Taking life jackets and fishing equipment to the dock and pool.  Each week we have the joy of fishing off the gorgeous dock up at Marywood.  This is over a quarter of a mile from our campsite where our life jackets and fishing equipment are stored.  Our staff can simply load the gear onto a golf cart and make one trip to get the dock set up for fishing.  The same goes for taking supplies like water coolers, ice, and snacks to the pool.

3. Transporting our Nurses.  Our nurses go where our Campers and Buddies go.  By taking a golf cart, they can quickly be wherever they are needed.  They can also take whatever gear they need with them, from our portable AED to our First Aide Kits.  This also allows them to quickly get back to camp if they need to!

4. Transporting staff to and from our office.  Our current office is located about a quarter mile from the campsite.  Staff must make FREQUENT trips to and from the office.  The golf cart saves a LOT of  time and helps reduce traffic on our streets by keeping our cars off the road.

 

5. Transporting Campers when needed.  Sometimes our Campers can get a little tired on the walk to and from the pool or dock.  Sometimes they just need an extra lift.  We also want to be able to rely on a golf cart if heaven forbid a Camper is injured and needs to be transported back to the cabins/dining hall, even if it's something as simple as a skinned knee.  

Catching a ride back from the pool.

And MUCH MORE!  The golf carts truly help us to run a smooth and efficient summer.

So here's where you can help:  Do you know anyone who is getting rid of a gently used golf cart?  Do you know a golf cart company who might give us a great deal on a golf cart?  OR Can you help us to offset the cost of a rental for the summer?  Please contact the office if you are able to help us out with this!
campiamspecial@ccbjax.org OR (904)230-7447

Please share with your friends or family.  I know it sounds like a somewhat silly request, but without the use of at least 1 good golf cart, our staff is going to have a much more difficult summer!

 

Valentine's Day Events

Camp I Am Special is planning a very busy Valentine's Day. We are hosting two events that day!  The first one is a fundraiser.  We will be having a Bokwa Fitness Fundraiser!

Bokwa is a fun aerobic workout, kind of similar to Zumba.  Click here to learn more about it:  http://bokwafitness.com/what-is-bokwa/ .  It's going to be a ton of fun!

 

We'll be at Holy Family Catholic School Gym.  Clara from In Shape Ladies Fitness will be leading the class.  She's a certified Bokwa instructor and is certified to work with adults and children.

What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than taking care of your heart with a healthy work out?

The cost will be $10 per person, but no more than $30 per family.  ALL ages and abilities are welcome.  We want to see all of our Campers, Buddies, volunteers and friends of camp out there moving!   All proceeds will go towards our Camper Scholarship Fund.

Then, that very same night, we are hosting a Parent's Night Out!  

Camp I Am Special is hosting this event with the Holy Family Youth Group.  We will have fun and games and snacks for your Camper while you enjoy 3 hours of free time to enjoy Valentine's Day.  Holy Family is located at 9800 Baymeadows Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32256.  It's not far from Town Center and Tinseltown and lots of restaurants.

Please RSVP for this event by calling the office at 904.230.7447 or emailing us at campiamspecial@ccbjax.org.  All ages are welcome to come enjoy the evening.  School aged siblings of Campers are welcome to attend as well.  We are asking for a $15 towards this event.  All proceeds will go towards our Camper Scholarship fund!

We are looking forward to spending the day with people we love-- our Campers and our Buddies!

Buddy Walk 2014

Last weekend, Rebecca and I attended the Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville's Buddy Walk with a team of camp friends and supporters.  It was a great event!  Thousands of people came out to participate in the walk and we saw a bunch of familiar faces throughout the day.

Prior to the walk, there was a great carnival area set up for everyone to enjoy.  Though the day was overcast, it was perfect weather for an outdoor event.

Right before the walk began, several cheerleading teams from around the city performed.  My personal favorite were the STARS!  Several of our camp friends participate on this team.  They did a great job and it was the perfect way to kick off the race. 

Here's just a small glimpse of the crowds walking down the beach!  I loved the supporters lining the path, cheering on all the walkers.

All in all, it was a great afternoon. The Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville did a great job with organizing this event.  Thank you to everyone who walked on our team!

If you didn't get a chance to participate this year, keep an eye out for the event next year!  We definitely plan to participate again!

October Super Saturday

After a busy week full of meetings, I'm finally getting around to blogging about our October Super Saturday.  Our Super Saturday program offers respite for our Camper families for 6 hours on a Saturday.  It gives our Campers a chance to come play and socialize, and our Buddies a chance to have fun with our Campers during our "off-season", plus a chance to earn those service hours too!

Super Saturdays are really laid back and relaxed.  We just go with the flow of what our Campers want to do.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous this past Super Saturday and we played outside for the majority of the day.

We came inside to eat lunch and do a few fall crafts and activities.

We painted pumpkins and painted fish with shaving cream.

We also got to investigate a pumpkin and scoop out it's insides.

All in all, it was a wonderful day.  Thank you so much to Stephanie, Kelly, and Marlana!  These sweet girls were on our summer staff and volunteered their day to staff this event.  Thank you to our Buddies who came on a Saturday and made the day as fun as possible for our Campers.  Thank you to our Campers for spending the day with us.  Super Saturdays are some of my favorite days of the year!  It's a time when I can truly relax and enjoy watching our Campers and Buddies interact.  It's a great "off-season" time together.  I miss everyone when camp isn't in session, so days like Super Saturday give us a nice boost in the midst of meetings, planning and fundraising!

Our next Super Saturday is November 22nd.  You can find the Camper application online here.  Buddies can email campiamspecial@ccbjax.org to sign up!

What do you do when camp isn't in session???

"What do you do when camps's not in session?"

Rebecca and I get asked this question nearly daily from August until May.  We both work full time year round to put on our summer sessions and our fall/winter/spring activities.  So what do we do now that there isn't staff to train or Campers to check in or special events to set up?  We plan to do a series of blog posts during the "off season" to give you a glimpse of how we spend the year.

One of the ways we spend that time is learning and finding ways to continue to improve camp.

Those of you who follow us on Facebook probably saw that Rebecca and I were at a conference this past week.  We attended the American Camp Association South Eastern Conference.  We were able to meet directors and staff from many camps in the area.  Talking to them really confirmed for us how unique our program truly is!

One of the sessions we attended was a session about the ACA standards and what it would take for our camp to become accredited through the ACA.  We learned a lot and we plan to implement some updates to make camp even better.

The conference lasted several days and we got a lot out of it.  It was definitely a beneficial trip for us, plus the weather in Savannah was gorgeous!

One of the most fun parts of the conference was when Rebecca won a Fender guitar from a vendor!  Music is such an essential part of our day and we are looking forward to using this beautiful guitar with our Campers.

In other news, we are still accepting applications for both Buddies and Campers for our December Mini-Camp.  Go online to apply today!  Cost is $185 for our Campers.

Make sure to subscribe to our blog to keep up to date.  We will be posting fairly regularly!