July 8, 2006 8:57 AM
Camp Easter Seals
Easter Seals was an organization founded in 1934 as a means to raise funds to help children with disabilities. In the original founding statement, “Easter means Resurrection and New Life, and the rehabilitation of crippled children means new life and activity . . . physically, mentally, spiritually.”
Today, Easter Seals functions as a secular organization, but still offers the same kind of renewal and hope to children with disabilities and their families. When Jonny was born, for a couple years we went to a mother/child play group where I met kids with many kinds of disabilities - some you seldom see because their mothers don't feel comfortable taking them out in public. While the kids played, we talked about issues like having more kids, dealing with relatives or the loss of friends who couldn't handle being aroundour families following the birth of a child with a disability.
Easter Seals offers a lot of support - and btw, is a great place to volunteer. Anyone who reads my new book will find that I am big on Christians getting involved in community volunteer work rather than spending all their time doing church things and hanging out with other Christians. There is too much need out there for us to stay inside our comfort zones.
Last year a family friend worked at the Camp Easter Seals near Roanoke, Virginia and saw so much valuable work going on she urged us to sign up our boys with Down syndrome. I thought about it this year and though I'd never sent my kids away to camp, I decided it would be a good thing for them, because it would take them outside their comfort zone and habitual patterns of behavior. Plus it promised to be great fun!
The camp is very pricey - $850 per week per boy, but I applied for a grant from a charitable trust and so was able to send them. The camp is four hours away and Tripp drove them down after church last Sunday (they would have left earlier, but Maddy sang "You Raise Me Up" and they didn't want to miss that!) while I stayed home to work on my books.
Yesterday I left at 6 to go down and pick them up. I love driving and had not been down that way before. It is soooo beautiful! And I was anxious to pick up the boys. Though we'd enjoyed a little more freedom while they were gone, there definitely was something missing at the Curtis house :)
I was so happy to see the boys, I cried. They'd enjoyed swimming, horseback riding, target practice, campfires, singing, drama and s'mores. I was so happy at the great relationships they'd had with their counselors!
The counselors were from countries all over the world and were so kind and loving. They wanted the boys to stay longer (some kids stay for 12 or 21 days and there are weeks devoted to intense speech therapy, which we might try next summer). In August I will return with the boys for a special Down Syndrome Family Camp that lasts a week. No one else in the family is free to go, as Tripp can't take off work (since we're taking off a week in September to go to Nags Head), Ben and Zach will be back at Liberty, and the girls are scheduled for a theater workshop. So it will just be me and the Downzers - and some other families with kids with Down syndrome (just one apiece) and all these lovely staff people.
Thanks to all of the counselors for their unconditional love and support!
Posted in Disabilities, Down syndrome, Family | Permalink
Comments
What a blessing that camp is! I hope and pray that maybe next summer we will not only have the funds but also a camp opening for all of our kids. My husband and I would like to take a small vacation alone and with 3 special kids and no friends or family, it's impossible to get away.
Glad you enjoyed your week!
Suzanne
http://suzannebalvanz.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Suzanne | July 8, 2006 11:52 AM
Such happy faces on those boys! Thanks for sharing that.
I'm still pretty new to your blog (well, blogging in general :) and am excited to hear you have boys at Liberty. That was where my husband and I went to college (we met there!) and hopefully where our kids go.
And I can't wait to read your new book.
Blessings,
Valerie
Posted by: Valerie | July 8, 2006 1:02 PM
Hello, I just came across your blog when I did a blog search with down syndrome as a topic. My 17 week old has down syndrome and we use the Easter Seals for his therapy. They have been a huge help, I like hearing other positive stories about programs they offer. Thank you!
Posted by: Jessica | July 8, 2006 3:15 PM
We did aquatherapy at Easter Seals for several years (physical therapy in water). Our son could walk in water about two years before he could walk on land. Great group of people.
Posted by: Julana | July 9, 2006 6:50 PM
Thank you all so much for your comments on the Easter Seals Program. I am a member of
the ESV State Board and am thrilled that your children have had such a wondeful experience at the Camp. We have a terrific
and caring staff who provide excellent fun
for the children and also for adults with
disabilities. We look forward to having them enjoy this experience next year.
Posted by: Faye Holland | July 29, 2006 9:28 PM
I am so happy that these four wonderful boys enjoyed camp. They taught so many of us lessons we could never forget. I loved being a part of these loving boys camp experience. Thanks to you and your family for allowing us the honor of providing a safe place for your beautiful children to grow and for trusting us to provide the loving care these boys along with all the other campers deserve. I look forward to seeing them in the future. Thanks for putting up such great photos of the boys, counselors and myself! May God continue to look over everyone that reads the article you have written, as well as your family and Easter Seals!
Posted by: Rachel | August 19, 2006 10:21 PM
I'm from Australia and was a Camp Counselor in 1999. It was one of the most rewarding and challenging few months in my career. I have so many wonderful memories of my time, and hope that it is still around so maybe when my kids are older, they to may be able to experience the wonders of Camp Easter Seals!
Posted by: Ellen | October 30, 2007 7:55 PM
