Camp Allen: Supporting Children and Adults with Developmental Disabilities
Camp Allen's slogan says it all: Camp Allen -- Discovering abilities since 1931
There are simply not enough places like Camp Allen. Do you know anyone with a developmental disability? Are you acquainted with a family raising a developmentally disabled child? You know these people face extreme challenges in their families, as young people, and as they grow older. Many of these people find themselves on the outskirts of society, financially incapacitated, and marginalized by the world around them.
Enter Camp Allen, a New Hampshire non-profit summer camp for those with special needs.
"Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as important to the child as it is to the caterpillar."
Camp Allen hosts residential and day camps for children, teens, and adults. They focus on a variety of fun and practical activities: crafts, games, cookouts, swimming, and other exciting adventures. For a developmentally delayed individual, the week they spend at Camp Allen could be an extremely comfortable and entertaining week.
Most importantly, though, Camp Allen takes the focus off of a person's disabilities and places it on a person's abilities. This is accomplished by the adaptation of the camp's environment to a variety of special needs. Camp Allen also offers diverse activities such as gardening, field trips, camp outs, and puppetry.
Helping Out
There are several ways you can assist a camper at Camp Allen. The camp is in constant financial need due to its non-profit status. Think about how much it costs to maintain an accessible facility, feed and house campers, pay staff, and maintain around-the-clock medical care. Camp Allen only charges campers about 60%, with a reliance on donations for the remaining cost.
Since that can still be too expensive for many individuals, the camp offers an "Adopt-a-Camper" program. You can personally assist a specific individual with camp tuition. You'll get letters and postcards from your camper, and a sense that you're making a difference in someone's life.
...and, of course, knitting!
You knew knitting would be in here somewhere. There are two ways you can help Camp Allen with knitting related donations. One, you can donate supplies. The camp teaches a wide variety of arts and crafts. Any leftover yarn and extra needles are always appreciated as donations.
Camp Allen would also happily accept socks, hats, and blankets. New Hampshire evenings are cool even in the middle of summer! So if you're feeling in the mood to lend a hand to someone in need, you should have no trouble finding a way to help out Camp Allen.