Epilepsy Foundation Sponsored Camps

Camp Firebird

Summer camp is a wonderful experience for every child. It is a unique experience where children learn to live cooperatively with others and have fun participating in outdoor activities. Camp Firebird is no exception in its importance to a child's maturation process and feelings of self worth. Our campers develop an appreciation for each individual's differences, and the positive feeling of group accomplishment. They are touched and encouraged by others with seizures and their attempts to live a full and active life with epilepsy. In addition to enjoying typical camp activities, such as swimming and horseback riding, the campers and counselors participate in activities designed to improve their knowledge of seizures, the importance of medication, nutrition, and general epilepsy education. Many of the counselors and staff have epilepsy and are able to share their personal stories with others. Camp Firebird encourages independence in managing seizures while building confidence and acceptance of epilepsy with caring and supportive staff and counselors. We have a nurse on staff and a neurologist on call at all times. Safety is our first concern. Children who are between the ages of 7 and 17 with a primary diagnosis of epilepsy are eligible to attend camp.

For more information contact Karen Brown at 614-315-0572 or kbrown@epilepsy-ohio.org

Camp Firebird - July 11th thru 15, 2011 

• Camp Firebird - located at Recreation Unlimited 7700 Piper Road, Ashley, OH 43003
• Phone 740-548-7006 Fax: 740-747-2640 or 740-747-3139

CAMP FOR CHAMPS

JULY/AUGUST 2011

A special camp for children with epilepsy will be held on Mondays on July 18, July 25,  August 1, and August 8. The three-hour sessions, from 9:30 AM until 12:30 PM, will offer therapeutic horseback riding, farm activities, water play and crafts to children with epilepsy from four to twelve years of age.

Belinda Harding, a certified therapeutic riding instructor, and her staff offer a world of horses and green fields on the Rail Fence Farm located near Centerburg in Morrow County. Children will have the opportunity to participate in a number of activities while their safety is ensured by trained volunteers. An occupational therapist will also be available to provide positioning therapy on horseback.

The Epilepsy Foundation will provide sponsorships for ten children to participate in Camp for Champs. Parents are asked to contribute $50.00 per child toward program expenses. Some scholarships are available for those who cannot contribute this fee. Camper selection is based upon receipt of completed applications. Transportation to and from Rail Fence Farm is the responsibility of the camper's parents.

Siblings of campers, who are between four and twelve years of age, may participate in the crafts and activities, not including horseback riding, for a fee of $50.00 which is the responsibility of the parents. This fee also includes refreshments (if a child is able to have them) and a camp tee shirt. A completed Liability Waiver is required for each sibling who visits the farm. For siblings who have disabilities, a medical history and physician's statement form must be submitted as well.

If Camp for Champs sounds like a great opportunity for your child, please call Carol Johnson, 614-315-0437, for information and registration forms. Deadline for registering is July 1, 2011 unless openings are filled prior to that date.

PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED APPLICATIONS TO:
Carol Johnson, Epilepsy Foundation, 4700 Lakehurst Court, Suite 225, Dublin, OH 43016

Thoughts Behind Camp for Champs

Horses to a child can appear gigantic. Even a strapping adult may approach a thousand pound horse with trepidation, let alone a fifty pound, five year old. Yet, there is something special that occurs when horse and child meet. What is it? For the children who took part in Camp for Champs, they know, even if they do not have the words to describe it. They have the memories of overcoming personal fears and thrilling to the delights of sitting astride a horse, etched in their minds.

Belinda Harding also has these fond childhood memories as she grew up with horses. She and husband, Herndon, elected to share that special relationship between horse and rider through a camp for children with epilepsy and other disabilities. Belinda, a certified therapeutic riding instructor, and Herndon, a retired psychiatrist, offer a world of horses and green fields on the Rail Fence Farm located near Centerburg in Knox County. Here, campers not only participate in hippotherapy (occupational therapy on horseback) but are given the opportunity to take part in many crafts and activities that accentuate the farm atmosphere. Feeding Jack the goat is considered a favorite chore as is checking out the fence line while riding in the John Deer farm cart.

When Belinda was asked what made Camp for Champs so special for her, she replied that her feelings are best expressed by a quote from an article in the December 2006 issue of the American Quarter Horse Journal, "All it takes is one ride. One ride to make them laugh, to make them fly, one ride to give them freedom from their physical limitations."

The Epilepsy Foundation will provide funding for nine children with camper selection based upon receipt of completed applications. Transportation to and from Rail Fence Farm is the responsibility of the camper's parents.

If Camp for Champs sounds like a great opportunity for your child, please call Carol Johnson, at the Foundation's office for information and registration forms.

These camps are made possible in part by contributions from The Williams Family Foundation, PACE, and through private donations.