RAD Camp Annotation

CAMP ReCREATION A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONINTRODUCTION

HISTORY
Camp ReCreation was founded in 1978, with goal of giving adults and children the opportunity to participate in fun, social activities and an opportunity for spiritual growth. Since then the camp has continued to grow and in 2012 there were a total of 165 volunteers. The camp is a nonprofit organization, and is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and from charitable donations from the community. Recently, Camp ReCreation have left their roots from Catholic funded charities and the presidents have recently founded a new organization named RAD Camp, Inc. RAD Camp’s mission statement is, “We offer an awesome summer camp experience for those with developmental disabilities, much-deserved

respite for their caregivers and a life-changing volunteer experience for the local community! As your Directors and Board of Directors, we promise to work tirelessly to fulfill this mission for our Camp Family!”

PROGRAMS
There are three different camps that occur throughout the year each of which offers one-on-one pairing with a camper and counselor.

The first camp is offered during the first week of July, and it is a week-long camp designed for adults with developmental disabilities. The second camp offered is called RAD Jr. This is also a week long, but is directed towards fir children ranging from the ages 4 to 17. Although this camp is for kids and teenager, they still participate in all of the same activities that is done at the camp for adults. The third camp offered during the year, often takes place during the end of October. This is a weekend long camp called Ace, and is used as filler for the campers between then and the summer. This weekend camp is done on a much smaller scale with fewer campers and counselors, and because of this the activities are not as extravagant as the summer

camp.

At the camps, the campers and counselors partake in numerous classes and activities throughout the day. Each class is visited for an allotted period of time each day with small breaks in between much like a school schedule. During the Arts and Crafts class, the campers will make paintings and accessories such as designing their own necklaces with their counselors. The Games class is based around getting the campers active, and in this class they participate in a variety of activities such as completing obstacle courses, playing sports, and water games. One of the favorite classes at camp is Drama. During Drama the campers will often perform skits and refine their acting abilities, and also prepare for the Camp Talent Show. Here the campers showcase their talents, and perform a variety of acts such as singing, dancing, and skits. Campers also participate in a Journal Class where they essentially make a scrapbook of their time at camp. Campers and counselors both work together to design the scrapbooks, and take pictures throughout the week to add to their scrapbooks and document their week. In addition to all of these activities the campers and counselors go swimming almost every day, go on field trips to local sporting events and amusement parks, and enjoy a concert at the camp.

GOVERNANCE
President of RAD Camp, Inc. Katie Webb graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism with an emphasis in event management. Webb’s postgraduate professional career began with her planning events for an incentive house, and also working for San Diego State University as an event manager for hospitality job fair. Webb has also planned multiple events for Fortune 500 companies, and opened an event planning and social media consulting firm with co-owner of RAD Camp, Inc. Meghan Clem. Clem graduated from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. She received her degree in Public Relations, and similarly to Webb began her career in event planning. She also worked as a Public Information Specialist for the city of Anaheim, and worked with major organizations such as the Anaheim Ducks, Anaheim Angels, and the Disneyland Resort. As Cofounder of Become Intertwined and Intertwined events with Webb, they have worked with organizations such as The Salvation Army and OCTA. Clem serves as Secretary and CFO of RAD Camp, Inc., and when the experience that Webb and Clem have gained over the years from event planning, they have created and run a truly successful camp. The governance for RAD Camp, Inc. is governed by a Board of Members that are dedicated to making the best decisions and helping RAD Camp provide the best services for the campers and their families.

DONATIONS & FUNDRAISERS
RAD Camp, Inc. is a 501c3 charitable organization. Anyone can donate as much as they want, but RAD Camp also has options ranging from $150 to pay for a Child’s Camper Registration Fee to $5,000 sponsoring an entire Bunk House. Camp directors Katie Webb and Meghan Clem have also started numerous fundraisers through their business Intertwined Events. They have started T-shirt campaigns where all of the proceeds go towards the camp itself to provide a better experience for campers and counselors.

CONTROVERSY
After thorough research of Camp ReCreation and RAD Camp, Inc. I was unable to find any controversy regarding this organization.

SCREENING PROCESS
In order to volunteer at RAD Camp, Inc.

counselors must first undergo a screening process. Applicants must first fill out their personal information regarding their name, age, and any possible medical issues. There is a minimum age of 16 years old to be a counselor, but you can still volunteer at the camp to help prepare food or events for the campers regardless of age. Next, applicants write an essay as to why they believe that they are fit to be a counselor, and express their values and reasons for volunteering at RAD Camp. Applicants must also provide a letter of recommendation from their person of choosing stating as to why they believe that the applicant would be a good counselor. The final step in the application and screening process is an interview with the directors where they will ask you questions such as why you are volunteering, and what you hope to take away from this experience. If you wish to volunteer you can register at www.radcamp.org/volunteer/

OPINION
Through the research that I have done and my own personal experiences with RAD Camp, Inc. I personally believe that they are a tremendous organization providing a great service for those with developmental disabilities. They provide a fun and loving environment where everyone is accepted regardless of any flaws that they might have. This organization continues to grow and do great things and I am very excited to be a part of it, and its promising

future.

PREDICTIONS
“After 35+ years under Catholic Charities, we know that Camp is as big as it can get under their umbrella. Over the last few years, we have increased the amount of people serviced by 75%, moved to our fabulous new home, and increased donations by 40%. But, we know there is more that we can do and there is a much larger need in our community for recreational residential services for those with special needs,” states co-directors of RAD Camp, Inc. Katie Webb and Meghan Clem in their press release addressing their departure from Camp ReCreation and Catholic Charities. This change was necessary for RAD Camp, Inc. was necessary because with the increased publicity of their camp over the past few years their growth rate has rapidly increased, and the facilities and resources used at Camp ReCreation were simply not enough anymore. RAD Camp, Inc. will continue to grow for many years to come. With a talented staff and many returning campers year after year the sky is the limit for RAD Camp.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
I began volunteering at Camp ReCreation in 2009, helping prepare meals for the campers. I found out about Camp ReCreation through my sister who had been volunteering already for a few years, and invited me to join. When I first arrived at camp, it had a special atmosphere that I have never felt in the past. The cafeteria was filled with people in goofy costumes, trying to see who can chant the loudest to be the first in line to get lunch. Everywhere I looked there were nothing, but smiles on people’s faces and there was laughter in the air. This instantly became an environment that I wished to be a part of and I continued to volunteer in the kitchen for a few years until I was old enough to be a counselor. My first year of being a counselor was in 2012. Going through the screening process of being selected to be a counselor was a nerve-racking experience because of how badly I wanted to volunteer at this camp to help others, but thankfully my application was accepted. The camp has a one-to-one ratio for campers, which means that each individual camper is assigned with an individual counselor.

During the week, the camper and counselor essentially do everything together, and my first week at camp was no different. The camper that I got assigned to was in his late 30’s and had been coming to Camp ReCreation for over a dozen years and he was quite popular. Leading up to my camper’s arrival I was extremely excited because I had been hearing great things about him from other counselors who knew him from past years. We instantly clicked on our first day, and our friendship began to form. Throughout the week we continued to grow closer through the group activities, and our one on one conversations. He would always tell me about all of his friends at the camp, and play some of his favorite 80’s bands when we could not sleep at night. At the camp, we refer to the campers as “buddies,” because that is what they are to us.

My buddies over the years have taught me much more about myself, and life in general than what I ever thought was possible. They taught me how important it is to enjoy each and every day, and to never let the small things in life get you down. The most important lesson that I have taken away from volunteering at Camp ReCreation and RAD Camp, is that it is always better to highlight ones abilities rather than disabilities. Although our buddies do possess developmental disabilities they have never let that limit them, and they live their life to the fullest every day.

CONCLUSION
Ever since leaving their Camp ReCreation roots in 2014, RAD Camp, Inc. has continued to expand upon their success from the past 35 years, and now they are in a new chapter of their organization’s life. RAD Camp continues to grow year-after-year without showing any signs of slowing down. They provide a great and loving home to those with developmental disabilities, and an accepting community to go along with it.