An Inclusive Summer Camp Program for Children With and Without Disabilities With the YMCA of Greater Kansas City KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Clay Aiken's foundation for children with developmental disabilities is conducting a pilot program with the YMCA of Greater Kansas City. The Briarwood Art Camp and the Linwood YMCA Summer Day Camp program will partner with the Bubel/Aiken Foundation to provide children with developmental disabilities the same camp experience as children without disabilities.
As a former camp counselor, Aiken noticed that children with special needs were unable to participate in programs due to the lack of staff members trained to work with children with disabilities or a staff:participant ratio that was too high to provide the necessary support. As a result, Aiken formed the Bubel/Aiken Foundation which serves to bridge the gap that exists for young people with developmental disabilities.
Children will participate in activities such as swimming, arts and crafts, friendship building, community service, physical fitness and more. The pilot program will operate June 27-July 1 and August 2-6 at the Linwood YMCA and July 12-16 and July 26-30 at the Briarwood Art Camp. Interested parents of children between the ages of 5-8 who could benefit from this program are instructed to contact Pam Watkins at 913-642-3591 ext. 313. For additional information, contact Lisa Muntz at 816-561-8122 ext. 298. Space is limited and will be handled on a first come/first served basis. Financial assistance is available.
The mission of The Bubel/Aiken Foundation is to provide services and financial assistance to facilitate fully the integration of children with disabilities into the life environment of those without. With these goals in mind The Bubel/Aiken Foundation will provide the YMCA summer camp with the curriculum, special education training and funding for the pilot program, all of which will serve as a model to develop future programs with the YMCA and other organizations for children. Special education professionals Mary Anna Bingham, Polly Haselden and Ellen Jackson are designing the curriculum for the pilot program. Bingham is COO of LifeSpan, a nonprofit agency supporting over 1500 children and adults with disabilities throughout North Carolina and is pursuing her nonameblogger.D. in Special Education from UNCC. Haselden is employed by UNCC where she is pursuing her nonameblogger.D. in Special Education. Jackson is an instructor in the Division of Health and Kinesiology at the Mississippi University for Women.
For more information about the Bubel/Aiken Foundation visit their website at
http://www.thebubelaikenfoundation.org . For more information on the YMCA visit their website at
http://www.ymcacab.org .
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