Our Mission: To offer camps to adults with developmental disabilities, enhancing their lives through recreation, socialization and life skills education.
CampBlueSkies.org
WINTER 2018
3 Campers share how camp changed their lives THE FIRST-TIMER Breanna Keeley, 24, of Charlotte Attended: North Carolina, 2017 Favorite activity: “Arts and crafts, especially drawing and painting.” Thoughts on camp: “It was so much more than I expected. I realized it was Ok to travel and be on my own.” Post-camp: “I became more independent. When I got home, my parents noticed I was more helpful and more responsible.” Advice for first-timers: “Be prepared to have fun!”
THE ENTHUSIAST Jeremy Foster, 27, of Cleveland Attended: Ohio, 2015; NC, ’16 & ’17 (Hasn’t been to Georgia... yet!) Favorite activity: “Seeing my friends and meeting new people. It’s always lots of fun.” Thoughts on camp: “The zipline was one
of my challenges. I had a fear of heights. I just let it go and gave it a try. Now, I love it!” Post-camp: “I now try to be an example to others by having fun and being kind.” Advice for first-timers: “If you’re open, you’re going to have a great experience.”
THE VETERAN
Favorite activity: “I get to see my camp buddies, doing the activities, and eating good food.” Thoughts on camp: “I get to make friends all the time. (Having connections is very important to Jason.) I try things that maybe I might not do with friends or housemates.” Advice for first-timers: “Come to camp, you will have fun. Everybody is nice and we do lots of things.”
A note from Dick Sesler, founder
The first step: Hiring Kit Sluder as Director of Health Services and Camper Recruitment. Her years of experience as a registered nurse and with camps gave us a solid foundation. Kit found doctors to be on-call and built a solid team of nurses through her networks. Nurses volunteered at first, but now those who work the full session receive a stipend
With oversight from faculty, student pharmacists review medications at check-in on Opening Day and then organize meds into daily dose packs. Imagine sorting meds for 40 to 60 campers!
Taking care to provide quality care for campers In my very first meeting with the parents of a potential camper, they asked how we were staffed to handle medical needs and medicines. Surprisingly, I hadn't thought about that critical piece and immediately looked for an answer.
Jason Flowe, 45, of Charlotte Attended: NC, 2010-17
Among those who contribute to quality care at camp (from left): April Bradley, Dr. Tom Gavigan, Aubrey Tamrakar, Becca Taunton, and Debby Rea. thanks to a grant from Healthy Charlotte Alliance. In Georgia, nursing students from West Georgia Technical College began volunteering with us. Pharmacists and pharmacy school students handle dispensing medications.
In Georgia, we work with the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy and Mercer University College of Pharmacy. Our partners in North Carolina are the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in Asheville and Wingate University School of Pharmacy at Hendersonville. We welcomed Dr. Tom Gavigan of Charlotte to the Board of Directors in 2017. He and Kit have been reviewing our processes and protocols to ensure we maintain the highest possible standard of care during camp.