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Below: Durham Child Development Center: spokes
persons - Barabra Jessie-Black, Beth Hudson & Trish Isbel
Camp Sertoma:
www.campsertoma.org
Camp Sertoma has always been near and dear to our
Sertoma members. Originally belonging to Sertoma and many years ago donated to the 4-H
club, Sertoma has reserved a week in June (6/22-6/27) that is dedicated to Deaf Camp. There
are many cabins at the camp, sponsored by numerous Sertoma clubs around North
Carolina. The
Triangle Sertoma Club sponsors one of these cabins. Ron Powell, who has
been asked to Chair a Triangle Sertoma Camp Committee and who has recently visited the Camp to do
some repair work, read a letter from a Parent of a foster child who attended
Deaf Camp. The response from the members of Triangle Sertoma, after hearing the
letter, read by Ron, makes us very proud to be Sertomans. The Triangle
Sertoma Club called a special Board meeting and voted to send two campers to
Deaf Camp . The following is the letter sent to us by a very proud parent. This
letter was also read at the regional convention (4/26/08) in Gettysburg, Pa. by our Camp Committee Chair,
John Kelly and appeared again in the Camp Sertoma news letter. Here is the
letter: Phil Boring -
Web Page Editor
FROM A PARENTS VIEW OF CAMP SERTOMA
(4/18/08):
For several years, we had a foster child in our
home that had hearing challenges; Sarah's* challenge was Central Auditory
Processing Disability. CAPD is a neurological disorder where a person may
be able to hear, however, it affects how one hears, then how one interprets the
sound or words. This is similar to a bad connection on the telephone, or the
game of "gossip", when by the end of the game, the message isn't any thing like
what the first person said.
Years of speech therapy had not been able to help
Sarah cope with these challenges. The County Public school system had
helped as much as they possibly could. What the school system couldn't
provide is non-academic social interaction with peers.
We found Camp Sertoma, through a link through the
4-H website, and it sounded exactly what we were looking for. Considering
Sarah's communication challenges, we talked about whether she would feel more
comfortable with other peers dealing wit similar issues. She was very
excited to spend time with other kids who had problems communication.
We arrived for registration, and I was impressed
by the efficiency and organization of how the staff managed to have everyone
check in, with the usual camp gear, equipment, medications, and assorted
communication skills.
When we arrived at the end of camp, Sarah ran to
us, hugging us, and begging to be able to return the following year. She said
she had made several friends, and that she felt she was like the other kids.
As a result of Camp Sertoma, Sarah gained
confidence, and was more compassionate with others who had hearing challenges.
Using ASL at camp helped her develop additional methods of communicating, which
she in turn shared with friends (and family) at home. Sarah enjoyed the
activities, and the social interaction. A lover of horses, she enjoyed the
riding, and swimming periods of the camp; she enjoyed the usual hiking, and
crafts projects as well.
Several of the friends and counselors continued
to communicate via email and letters though the year.
Background: Sarah attended 4-H camp a year before
she went to Sertoma Deaf Camp. She found it difficult because of her
communication challenges. The differences caused by her communication skills
were significant enough for peers at school and the 4-H camp to make fun and
tease her.
My own experience with camping:
I know how important it is for a child to be
included with their peers, to develop independence and self-reliance, and I
wanted Sarah to have a similar experience.
I had grown up with family members who were very
active with the church camping program where we lived; as much like the members
of Sertoma who volunteer their time and energy to provide youth with camping
opportunities.
At family camp and on camp workdays, the adults
would include their children to help with activities or the work at the camp.
I attended 4-H camp and church camp at the local camp. Later I worked on staff
at two separate camps.
One of my memorable experiences as a counselor
was the week we had twelve hearing impaired children, (with four to six
counselors who were proficient in signing) and several children from the inner
city, That week, everyone, campers, and staff alike, experienced growth in
recognizing our individual and collective diversity and our similarities.
And isn't that one of the reasons to go to camp,
to learn more about our world and each other?
*(The campers name has been changed to
protect the child's identity.)
If you know of someone who has a child who would
like to attend deaf camp or would like to make a donation to send a DHH (Deaf or Heard of Hearing) child to camp, please contact a member of
Triangle Sertoma Club or myself Phil Boring at
philsgolf@aol.com
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