Special Edition 2009 : Page 9
As Kelly and David work through the fine print for their charity, they’re already planning for future components of the program. “The second component of Kelly’s Kidz will be awareness, which we will launch in the fall,” Kelly says. “We plan on offering materials and speaking engagements so that people can learn more about kids with spe- cial needs. We would also provide resources for people about what they can do for their kids, because a lot of parents don’t know that there is help like this available for them. That’s another thing we would like to provide: to be a good resource for the parents.” Both Kelly and David say that the impact of the experience they had with their daughter will help them provide a great service to parents of special needs kids. “We’ve been through a lot,” David says. “You look at the quality of life for Maggie and you see that it has improved dramati- cally over the past three years. To be able to provide just a little bit to help another a child and improve their quality of life is an unbelievable feeling. We’re very fortunate to be able to help in this way.” For more information, visit www.kellyskidz.net. – Nicholas Bashour A CAMP OF THEIR OWN K LIONS CLUB GIVES KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS THE FULL CAMP EXPERIENCE yah Kitchen of Sylvan Lake attended Lions Bear Lake Camp for the first time when she was just 6. She admits she was uncomfortable in the beginning. “I felt shy and homesick,” says Kyah, now 12. But soon she was enjoying the activities and making new friends. The friend part was easy, she says, because everyone was “just like me.” The kids at Kyah’s camp did have at least one thing in common – they were all hearing impaired. For many campers, that sharing of common experience is the best part of Bear Lake Camp. “The kids realize they aren't the only ones who have this particular challenge in life,” says camp director Dennis Tomkins. “They get this great sense of support.” Bear Lake Camp is owned and operated by Lions Visually Impaired Youth Camp, Inc. and funded by Lions Club chapters throughout Michigan. The nonprofit has run summer camps for visually impaired youth in southeast Michigan for 28 years. In 2000, the group bought its own facility in Lapeer and expanded its programs. Today Bear Lake holds free camps for visually impaired kids and low- cost camps for hearing impaired campers. Tomkins says Bear Lake’s hearing impaired program is Michigan’s only auditory-oral summer camp. Rather than use sign language, the deaf and hard-of-hearing kids spend all week practicing their speaking and listening skills, supported by hearing aids or cochlear implants. Bear Lake’s free, two-week visually impaired camp is its flagship program. Campers enjoy the same activities available at any summer camp, but they are adapted to be accessible and safe. Tomkins notes that in this day of inclusion, kids with special needs can go to almost any camp, but they might be limited to certain activities. “For example, they may not let them shoot a bow and arrow by themselves,” Tomkins says. “Here they will know that they have the support they need to do it. These kinds of activities help build confidence and allow our kids to take charge of their lives.” Bear Lake also partners with outside organizations to create programs for kids with other special needs. The Arthritis Foundation of Michigan sponsors Camp Dakota at the facility – a low cost program for kids with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. The Macomb/St. Clair County chapter of the Autism Society holds a family camp there. And this year, Bear Lake is working with Leader Dogs of Rochester to provide a summer camp at which visually impaired teens can learn to use a specialized GPS tracking system called the Trekker. Each student will receive a free Trekker unit at the close of camp. For many people, the camping season still seems ages away. But Kyah Kitchen is already counting the days to her seventh stay at Bear Lake this summer. “I wish that it could last the whole summer,” she says. For more information on programs offered at Lions Bear Lake Camp, visit its Web site at www.bearlakecamp.org, or call 810-245-0726. – Sharon MacDonell More About Camps Inside Considering sending your child to camp? Flip to page 16 for tips on picking the perfect camp for your child. METROPARENT.COM • SPRING/SUMMER 2009 • SPECIAL EDITION 9
A CAMP OF THEIR OWN
Kyah Kitchen of Sylvan Lake attended Lions Bear Lake Camp for the first time when she was just 6. She admits she was uncomfortable in the beginning. “I felt shy and homesick,” says Kyah, now 12. But soon she was enjoying the activities and making new friends. The friend part was easy, she says, because everyone was “just like me.”
The kids at Kyah’s camp did have at least one thing in common – they were all hearing impaired.
For many campers, that sharing of common experience is the best part of Bear Lake Camp. “The kids realize they aren't the only ones who have this particular challenge in life,” says camp director Dennis Tomkins. “They get this great sense of support.”
Bear Lake Camp is owned and operated by Lions Visually Impaired Youth Camp, Inc. and funded by Lions Club chapters throughout Michigan. The nonprofit has run summer camps for visually impaired youth in southeast Michigan for 28 years. In 2000, the group bought its own facility in Lapeer and expanded its programs. Today Bear Lake holds free camps for visually impaired kids and lowcost camps for hearing impaired campers.
Tomkins says Bear Lake’s hearing impaired program is Michigan’s only auditory-oral summer camp. Rather than use sign language, the deaf and hard-of-hearing kids spend all week practicing their speaking and listening skills, supported by hearing aids or cochlear implants.
Bear Lake’s free, two-week visually impaired camp is its flagship program. Campers enjoy the same activities available at any summer camp, but they are adapted to be accessible and safe. Tomkins notes that in this day of inclusion, kids with special needs can go to almost any camp, but they might be limited to certain activities. “For example, they may not let them shoot a bow and arrow by themselves,” Tomkins says. “Here they will know that they have the support they need to do it. These kinds of activities help build confidence and allow our kids to take charge of their lives.”
Bear Lake also partners with outside organizations to create programs for kids with other special needs. The Arthritis Foundation of Michigan sponsors Camp Dakota at the facility – a low cost program for kids with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.
The Macomb/St. Clair County chapter of the Autism Society holds a family camp there. And this year, Bear Lake is working with Leader Dogs of Rochester to provide a summer camp at which visually impaired teens can learn to use a specialized GPS tracking system called the Trekker. Each student will receive a free Trekker unit at the close of camp.
For many people, the camping season still seems ages away. But Kyah Kitchen is already counting the days to her seventh stay at Bear Lake this summer. “I wish that it could last the whole summer,” she says.
For more information on programs offered at Lions Bear Lake Camp, visit its Web site at www.bearlakecamp.org, or call 810-245-0726.
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