Month: June 2016

Camp days full of fun, friends

Children and adults with disabilities will have the chance next month to make new friends and great memories at a summer camp right here in Northern Kentucky.

Individuals from middle-school age on up are invited to Capernaum Day Camp, which runs July 25-29 on the grounds of the beautiful Newman family farm in Union. In its fourth year, the camp boasts a schedule of activities as full as a summer day is long: field games, water games, fishing and horseback riding, tractor rides, crafts, speakers, a dance party at least once a day, and more. Much of the activity is set to music, lots and lots of music.

My daughter, Anna, has joined in the fun the past two years. So when I scheduled an interview with camp organizer Brian Kremer to find out what’s planned for this year, I took Anna along. We met last week in the lounge area of a local church, where Kremer’s face lit up as he talked about the event.

Camp allows Capernaum leaders to build a community that brings together people with and without disabilities “and really lavish God’s love on our friends in a big way,” Kremer said. “We try to go pull out all the stops and make it so much fun that [a camper] remembers everything about the camp a year later.”

Kremer is the area director of Northern Kentucky Capernaum, a nondenominational Christian ministry serving teens and young adults with disabilities. The group consists of college and high school students who gather with individuals with disabilities to create relationships and help them know Jesus’s love. They have a lot of fun along the way. Besides its summer day camp, Capernaum offers Bible studies; “club” nights with talks, skits, games and dancing; community outings; a summer overnight camp out of state; and a prom.

A camper’s questions

On the day of our interview with Kremer, Anna asked the first questions.  Each day at camp a speaker talks, and Anna wanted to know how long that talk would be. She also asked about the food and had lots of questions about activities.

Kremer told her someone will speak daily for 15 minutes about Jesus’s love and, this summer, the story of Lazarus. As for the food, Kremer said two women will cook a delicious lunch every day, serving meals such as tacos and chicken sandwiches. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches also will be available daily.

Fishing – one of Anna’s favorite activities – will take place at the farm’s lake. Horses from Sunrise Ranch will be brought in for riding. In place of a scavenger hunt this year, campers will join in team-building exercises as part of the new Newman Farm Challenge. Inflatables will be set up as will equipment for basketball and cornhole.

Friday activities start at 6 p.m. with a banquet in the barn followed by a talent show.

The fun will begin at 9 a.m. on the first four days of camp. Families are welcome on the last day, Friday, when activities will start at 6 p.m. with a banquet in the barn. After dinner, campers will entertain the crowd with a talent show.

The entire activity list for the week is a bit long for this blog, but camper families can be assured: Capernaum knows how to play.

A parent’s questions

Next came my turn to ask questions. Kremer told me campers are welcome regardless of their faith. Each camper will have a one-on-one volunteer buddy to accompany him or her during all activities, he said, adding that each day follows a similar structure because many campers like routine.

banquet
Campers and their families gather in the barn for the Friday night banquet at last year’s Capernaum Day Camp.

To support the medical needs of the campers, Kremer has been trained to administer daily medications. Camp organizers also plan to have a certified health care worker on site every day in case of medical emergencies.

Kremer encourages campers to come even if they can’t attend every day of camp, even if 9 a.m. is a little too early. If someone wants to check camp out for an hour to see what it’s like before committing to the week, he said, that’s fine too.

Offering a day camp is a way for Capernaum to be a blessing to Northern Kentucky, Kremer said. It also enhances the group’s ministry. “We want to create a bigger community around our friends,” he said.

Things to know

Dates and times: July 25 to 28, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with registration starting at 8:30 a.m., and July 29, 6 p.m. banquet followed by a talent show

Ages: middle school to adult

Place: 2231 Clarkston Lane, Union, Ky.

Cost: $125

Register: Campers and volunteers can register at nkycapernaum.younglife.org, or the Northern Kentucky Capernaum Facebook page. You can also contact Brian Kremer at 859-394-2744 to register by phone or with questions.

Schedule for Monday through Thursday (give or take 15 minutes here and there):

  • 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. – Check-in.
  • 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. – Free time with activities around the barn and farmhouse.
  • 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. – Faith talk, songs and games.
  • 11:15 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Crafts related to the day’s theme.
  • 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. – Lunch.
  • 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. – Group activities around the farm such as horseback riding and fishing.
  • 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. – All-camp activity.
  • 3:45 p.m. – Reminder of the theme for the day.
  • 4 p.m. – Check-out and pick up.

 

Finding friends along the road

In 1985, the summer after my sophomore year in college, I plotted the 550-plus-mile drive from Louisville, Kentucky, to a newspaper internship in Richmond, Virginia, on a large paper road map. I folded and refolded that map as I worked my way across three states in my cream-colored, two-door Chevette hatchback. Stuffed with clothes and … Continue reading “Finding friends along the road”

In 1985, the summer after my sophomore year in college, I plotted the 550-plus-mile drive from Louisville, Kentucky, to a newspaper internship in Richmond, Virginia, on a large paper road map. I folded and refolded that map as I worked my way across three states in my cream-colored, two-door Chevette hatchback. Stuffed with clothes and belongings, the car had a manual shift, black interior and no air-conditioning.

blog illustration vertical

That was my first solo road trip. Those were the days before cell phones and satellite radio. Then the only thing to help a lonely traveler feel connected was spotty, shifting AM/FM radio reception. Or so I thought. But as I traveled along the interstate, through mountains, across rivers, I noticed something: I made friends on the road. Literally, on the road.

At least that’s how I would characterize what happened. I noticed that sometimes I found myself behind a car or truck on the interstate going about the same speed and so we traveled together awhile, like a driver following a pace car. Or sometimes a car stayed behind me for a time, a familiar presence in my rear view mirror that provided a sense of stability amid the ever-changing scenes outside my window. For a time, we shared the journey.

Many years and road trips later, I find myself on a different journey. I’m a parent of a child with special needs. Caring for my daughter’s mind, body and spirit; finding resources and opportunities to help her live her best life — these are the roads I travel now. I wonder which turns to make. I look for signs to follow. I encounter mountains to climb and rivers I see no way to cross.

I wish I had a map. Even better, a navigation system. With voice control. “In approximately one minute, you will choose this doctor.” Boom. Done. Maybe even voice control with attitude. That would be handy for those days I need an extra kick in the pants. “In approximately five seconds — heck, you should have started a week ago! — you will get your rear in gear and start filling out those forms for (insert: office/service provider of your choice)!”

Despite my lack of a map, I continue on the road. And just as I did on my trip to Virginia, I find friends along the way. Doctors and nurses, therapists and educators, coaches and instructors. Along with family and long-time friends, these people provide immeasurable and vital help and support. They keep my daughter alive. They keep me alive. They build bridges, point us in the right direction, fuel us when I’m not sure we can go any farther.

Still, the road did get lonely early on. To the rescue came a cheer team for people with special needs. My daughter joined, and for the first time in our lives we regularly gathered with families who understood firsthand the challenges we faced, families who spoke the same language and held in their hearts the same joys and concerns. We talked and laughed and complained together. We learned from each other. We shared the journey.

      I want this blog to be a place where readers can come to learn and to share ideas. I hope this space helps to create a greater sense of community.

That newspaper internship in Virginia? It worked out well. I worked as a journalist during college and after graduation, and those experiences contributed to the idea for this blog. I want to make these pages a newspaper of sorts with articles about the Northern Kentucky people, events, organizations and resources working to improve the lives of people with special needs and their families. I want this blog to be a place where readers can come to learn and to share ideas. I hope this space helps to create a greater sense of community.

I expect that working on this blog will help me too. While I’ve lived in Northern Kentucky for almost twenty years, I hope blogging will help me feel more connected. I expect I’ll learn a lot and meet a lot of people. And I expect also that this work will cause me to look with fresh eyes at my daughter, to notice anew her strengths and abilities and the qualities that make her unique.

I’m eager to start. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for traveling the road with me.