Fall 2019 CAMP Matters

Children’s Association for Maximum Potential Fall 2019

New Kids at CAMP! Page 1 Welcome Alex to CAMP Page 2 Halloween Costumes Page 2 Volunteer Opportunities Page 3 All-Inclusive Vacation Pages 4-5 Family Retreats Pages 6 Waver Programs & CAMP Page 7 Shop for A Cause Page 8 Gala Thanks!

Page 8 Tributes Page 9 Birthday Wish List Page 10

New “Kids” at CAMP!

We are proud to introduce the two newest “kids” to the CAMP family! These two boys can’t wait to meet you and snuggle up.

Hello, my name is

Leonardo DiCaprigoat!

I am a male Nigerian Dwarf goat.

I LOVE to stand on top of the hutch to feel taller than I am. I really like to snuggle and can’t wait to meet you.

Hi Friends! My name is

Vincent Van Goat!

I am a male American La Mancha goat. I really love to meet new people and snuggle right up. Come be my new friend at CAMP and give me some hugs!

Welcome to the CAMP family, Alex!

CAMP would like to introduce the newest member of our year-round team, Alex Grimm!

Joining the team in late August, Alex serves as a CAMP Program Specialist.

Alex has been involved in camps serving individuals with special needs since 2013. He has had different roles such as Summer Program Assistant, Program Facilitator, and Outdoor Education Instructor. While originally from Southern California, he has spent time all over the United States for school and work. Alex graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Psychology and recently graduated from Tufts University with a Master’s in Child Studies and Human Development with a focus on programs for children with special needs.

He is extremely excited to spend more time in Texas getting to know the families that make up the CAMP community. We are delighted to have him as part of the team and look forward to you meeting him!

CAMP uses costumes all year for drama and other fun activities.

After you have worn your costume this Halloween, consider donating it to CAMP to become part of the fun all year!

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Volunteer Events Experienced volunteers are needed for all programs, but especially the Respite Weekends. Sign up early, and remember‌ the more volunteer support we have, the more Campers we can serve!

Parents Night Out (PNO) October 11 November 15 December 6 January 24

Teen & Adult Day Adventure (TADA) October 12 November 16 December 7 January 25

Respite Weekends October 25-27 November 22-24 December 13-15 January 3-5

Family Retreats November 1-3 December 6-8

Sign up at: http://bit.ly/CAMPVolunteers

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My “All-Inclusive Vacation”

By Juliette Palacios, RN 2019 Summer Volunteer, Session 7

I just got back from a week at autism camp. When I was applying, there were so many forms to fill out, it seemed as complicated as if my children were applying to college. I noted that it was more expensive than the all-inclusive resort vacation we have planned for later in the year.

I volunteered to help, as an RN in the infirmary, to help offset the cost and to experience it for myself. My daughter was assigned to the youngest tribe, and my boys were assigned to a sibling tribe.

I arrived alone on Sunday at 8am, having no idea what to expect. I was sent to the Dining Hall, with a couple of other volunteers. The first person I met there was a man in an electric wheelchair. When I asked his role, he replied, “I’m Dr. John. I’ve been coming for years.” This encounter, with a dryly funny, prominently celebrated medical doctor with cerebral palsy, set the tone for the rest of the week.

The first day was a 15 hour work day that was full of trials. I stumbled into bed around midnight, after a quick shower. I was thoroughly unsure I could make it through the week. I was assured that the first day is the hardest and this was a particularly difficult first day. Monday and Tuesday were long days, and my kids were each asking when we could leave. I plotted our exit strategy. But, by Thursday, we were all mourning the fact that camp would be ending the next day.

It was a week full of trials and triumphs. I was assigned 11 young ladies to medicate daily. Only two were resistant. I cheered inside, when I coaxed them to take their medicines. I mourned, when I was unsuccessful.

I was encouraged to spend my free hours with my group of ladies. I swam and played with them, and I took many pictures I later shared with their counselors and family. I got to know the girls and celebrated their love of singing, dancing or swimming, their sweetness, or sense of humor.

I worked with psychologists, pediatricians, nurses, nursing and pharmacy students, and special education specialists. Many of us are also special needs parents. We attended daily lectures and discussions on special needs parenting, ethics, autism and sexuality, and other sometimes uncomfortable yet relevant issues. We all contributed, as professionals and/or parents.

I tried to intervene as little as possible in my kids’ camp experience. When I saw my children, I ate with them, encouraged them to drink water, eat vegetables, brush their hair, wipe their mouth, pull their shirt out of their pants. I thanked their counselors. I saw that they were all happy and thriving.

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My sweet and gentle 9 year old daughter with autism had an equally sweet and gentle 14 year old counselor who let her do everything she wanted. At first, I worried that the counselor wasn’t strong enough, that she didn’t have enough control. Then, I decided she was a perfect fit. She gave my daughter just the right amount of freedom.

My boys had a separate, yet inclusive experience. They had cookouts, games, fort -building, and canoeing with their neurotypical peers and counselors. They ate meals, swam, danced, petted exotic animals, rode horses, and played with kids with autism. They heard yelling and tantrums, laughter and silliness. They are already talking about going again next year then, “we’ll come as counselors, when we’re 14.”

On the last night, Dr. John spoke to the staff about how his summer camp changed him. He talked about how his counselor propped him up in a canoe and saw him as a person, “for the first time I was seen not as a thing or a problem to be solved.” He spoke about how “20 years later and 20 miles upstream, I swore the Hippocratic oath...And, I can’t say for sure that the first thing led to the other. But I can’t say for sure that it didn’t...I’m guessing that my counselor never imagined I’d become a doctor... I never had a chance to thank him. So, I’d like to thank you, instead.”

And there was nary a dry eye. Then, all the staff gathered in a circle, and the officiant asked the med staff to “come light the star.” I wasn’t expecting to step forward, to be in the limelight. I laughed as I was pushed forward, with a barbecue lighter that wouldn’t light, at first. Yet I managed to light a corner of the star and passed the lighter to my other medical friends.

Then, the next day, during the awards ceremony, each tribe gives individual awards and they give a flag they decorated to their favorite counselor. My ladies voted to give their flag to me, “Nurse Juliette!” I gasped in surprise and gratefully received their beautiful glitter-decorated banner.

I leave this camp changed. I feel more fully formed, as a parent, as a nurse, as a human. I am full of awe, and I am so grateful for the sharing: between professionals, between the parents, and between the neurotypicals and atypicals. I am now certain I will return and will bring along my family to share in the magic of a camp vacation that defines and embodies “all-inclusive” in all the best ways.

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Family Retreats at CAMP! Thanks to Methodist Healthcare Ministries, we are excited to have families share in the CAMP experience together!

Because of the generosity of Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Family Weekend Retreats are being hosted at Camp CAMP in 2019 located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country.

Each retreat has been designed with the whole family in mind, as individuals with special needs and their families participate in traditional camping activities such as swimming, horseback riding, canoeing, archery, outdoor cooking, arts & crafts, nature discovery, paintball, music recreation, and so much more.

CAMP programs alleviate medical, physical, developmental, social, and intellectual barriers for campers by adapting all of its recreational and social activities to allow full participation while including the entire family.

During the retreat, all meals are prepared by a cook, allowing families the time to retreat and relax together! Family "buddies" are available to guide them through the weekend and help facilitate chosen activities.

Although 2019 retreats are full, we anticipate additional retreats opening in 2020. If you are interested in attending as a family, please email CAMP’s Family Support team at familysupport@campcamp.org. If you would like to volunteer as a “buddy,” please email Brandon.Briery@campcamp.org.

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Medicaid Waiver Programs and CAMP Make the most of your Medicaid Waiver services.

Did you know you can use respite hours to attend CAMP? CAMP is contracted with the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) - aka “the state” - to serve as a respite provider for various Medicaid waiver programs. Using respite hours to attend means there is no out-of-pocket cost for CAMP tuition.

What is a “Medicaid Waiver Program?”

Medicaid waiver programs allow earlier access to services by waiving the usual rules and/or barriers. Contact your Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority (LIDDA) Services to learn more, and to request an intake appointment. The waitlists are significant - so the sooner you get started, the better.

My child/adult is on a Medicaid waiver program, but doesn’t have “respite” on their individual plan of care...

Easy enough! Contact your service coordinator or case manager, and request to discuss a plan revision. If a revision is possible, be sure the effective date is set prior to your Camper’s session. Some plans are ineligible for respite.

Respite Units/Hours and CAMP

Medicaid Waiver Programs

Managing Your IPC

Which Medicaid Waiver Programs does CAMP accept?     

CLASS (Community Living Assistance & Support Services) DBMD (Deaf Blind with Multiple Disabilities) HCS (Home and Community-based Services) TxHmL (Texas Home Living) STAR Kids (formerly MDCP)

Qualifying Programs

Though not technically a waiver program, CAMP contracts with several LIDDAs for General Revenue (GR).

Is my providing agency or Financial Management Services Agency/Consumer Directed Services Agency (FMSA/ CDSA) contracted with CAMP? CAMP contracts with many providing agencies, FMSAs (for those who selfdirect services), and all managed care organizations (Superior, United Health Care, BlueCross BlueShield, etc.). Please check with your agency and/or have them call us!

For More Information Contact

Providing Agencies & CAMP

Amanda Meigs Waiver Coordinator and Funding Specialist Amanda.meigs@campcamp.org (210) 671-5239

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Thanks to your incredible support, the 11th Annual Starry Night CAMP Gala raised

$206,000!

Because of you, families experience CAMP together, teens are expertly trained to be volunteer counselors, campers paddle a canoe for the first time, teens and adults enjoy social activities, and parents receive a much needed break. For parents and caregivers of children and adults with special needs, this means the world to them, and you mean the world to us!

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Tributes are from June 1 through August 31

Will Alexander

Logan Moodie

by Mr. Ken Simmons

by Clarissa Kline

Bob Brock and Mary Margaret Johnson Yuichiro Mori

by The Schrader Group

Dee Evans

by Ms. Katherine Summers

Sarah Sebesta

by Mrs. Nancy Smith

Bodie Gannaway

by Mary Frances Markley

Susan Smith

by Ms. Donna Gannaway

Mason Howerton

by Elizabeth Cauthorn

Colleen Syms

by Leigh Meiser

Kyle Huang

by Mrs. Adriana Prado

Shawn Lennartson

by Capital Lodge No. 23 IOOF

Nishi Mishra

by Mr. Eddie Cabazos

by Charles Syms

Tim

by Linda Maldonado

Avni Vora and Dhruva Athreya

by Beti Argun

Madeleine Reichert Zachary

by Ms. Ruth Goldsmith

Tributes are from June 1 through August 31

Tommie and Olivia Anderson

by Ms. Regina C. Anderson

Meghan Hill

by Mrs. Beatrice McFadden

Neal McClaugherty

by Ronald White

Rhett Urban

by Mr. Paul Urban

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Children’s Association for Maximum Potential PO Box 27086 | San Antonio, TX 78227 (210) 671-5411 | www.campcamp.org