A traditional camp for special needs
Waiting lists are something Laurie Tschetter tries to avoid. On camp applications, Tschetter asks parents to list three or four sessions that would work for their child so she can ensure that every person can come to camp, no matter what.
The executive director of programs at Friendship Ventures, Tschetter stresses that they try not to have a waiting list, “because we think that it’s really important that people are able to come to camp and get the break they need.”
What sort of a break, you may ask, is Tschetter talking about?
Friendship Ventures hosts children (and adults) with physical and/or developmental disabilities including attention deficit disorder, Down syndrome, and Asperger’s syndrome. The camp strives to be a place where campers can receive a break from the routine stresses of everyday life, and that parents and caregivers can also rest up from the strain of caring for a son or daughter with a disability.
“The overall goal is to be able to provide a quality experience for people with disabilities and their families,” Tschetter says.
The only problem parents may have while filling out applications? Narrowing their choices to three or four options. Applicants may decide on a location (there are three in Minnesota) based on accessibility. Or they may choose a particular program, whether it is a traditional resident camp (either three or six days), respite care (on weekends), a specific needs session (which surrounds a camper with other children who have similar needs), or a special interest session (camps which focus on an activity like tie-dye or fishing). The more independent can choose from Friendship Getaways, Ventures Travel, and Friendship club.
Camp time!
Tschetter became involved with Friendship Ventures while she was in college, running the canteen her first summer in 1984. Over the years, she worked or volunteered in some way or another and now, 28 years later, she oversees and is responsible for the resident and day camps, and respite care programs, as well as the Friendship Getaway program.
Tschetter calls many activities, “traditional Midwestern camp activities,” for example, swimming, fishing, archery, biking, canoeing, arts and crafts, and camping under the stars. However, what makes the camp different from others is the supervision, personal attention, and tailored activities staff and counselors offer.
“Our staffing ratios are really very good,” Tschetter says. “There are a lot of campers who need one-to-one staff to be with them at all times. At greatest, for people who are very independent, we might have one staff [member] with four campers. When we are doing activities, not only do we have great supervision, but we’re able to give them the support they need to participate in the activity as much as they want to or that they are able to.”
Part of the philosophy of Friendship Ventures is encouraging campers to be as independent as possible, yet also providing them with the support and encouragement they need. “We have activity leaders…[whose] job is to lead the activity so that the counselors who come with the campers are able to support the campers in accomplishing the activity,” Tschetter says. “And of course we want the campers to have as much fun as possible. That is a big part of the goal—having fun and just having a safe social situation.”
Friendship Ventures always has a registered professional nurse or licensed practical nurse on duty; while all other staff members receive weeklong training on how to administer medication, how to help campers with personal care, how to adapt activities to suit the ability level of the campers, how to use an automated external defibrillator, and where they also get first aid and CPR certified. Staff members have studied everything from psychology to social work or have gone to school to be a doctor or a teacher.
“You name it, [we have] a big variety,” Tschetter says. “We get staff from all over the U.S. and also [from] an international program called Camp Leaders. They’re based out of Liverpool, England but they do recruitment of staff in about 20 different countries.”
For the 2011 camp season, Tschetter hired 37 international staff members, coming from Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Hungary, Columbia, and Mexico, giving Friendship Ventures campers a truly unique experience. “We really think that our campers benefit from having staff from other countries because really, how often are they going to go to a foreign country? So it gives them an opportunity that they wouldn’t otherwise have.” Tschetter notes that a couple times in the summer there will be an international evening program or afternoon program so campers can learn about all the different countries and native food, culture, songs, and the games a particular country may favor.
Specific needs sessions
Kammy Krammer, mother of two campers, says, “We have three kids; two kids with special needs, [and] we just can’t do the kinds of things as a family in such intensity that they are able to provide.” Krammer’s kids, Elliot (on the autism spectrum) and Henry (typically developing) have attended the Friendship Ventures camp three times. “They offered this special session that was just perfect for our situation and it was called Camp Adventure.”
Camp Adventure is one of the many programs under the specific needs session. The camp is designed to meet the needs of children with ADD/ADHD, age six through 15. Also, equally important for Krammer, these sessions are all about a supportive environment, meaning the camper can choose to bring a sibling or a friend with them, which is exactly what the Krammer family chose.
“It was amazing for Henry,” Krammer says. “He is really, really shy, very reserved, very introverted and sometimes it is hard…in the overwhelming presence of his brother. Some days are kind of hard to be Elliot’s brother. [This was] a way for them to foster their relationship. He needed the camp every bit as much as his brother did but for different reasons.”
Elliot was also deeply affected by camp, doing things he wouldn’t have been able to do in any other sort of environment, like rock climbing, field trips, and camping outside. “Elliot made his first true friend of his entire life last year, Max. Not only did [Elliot] work through that anxiety but he was also able to form this friendship.
“What they do, you can’t even put into words,” Krammer says. “There is no way to bottle that up and market it; it is just such an exceptional experience. This has been life changing for our family.”
