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8/13/2009 - Camp Growing to Serve Special Needs
Camp Baker, a 22-acre site off Beach Road in Chesterfield County, has been providing a recreational outlet for children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities since the 1920s.
The property is owned by the county but has been operated by Greater Richmond ARC, the nonprofit group formerly known as the Association for Retarded Citizens, for 49 years.
Today, as the final group of campers for this summer says farewell, the camp will dedicate $650,000 worth of new facilities, including an amphitheater, a counselors' bunk house, and a dining hall expansion, financed with state money and a donation from one happy camper's family.
During the past nine weeks, 400 disabled campers have come from across Virginia and as far as New Mexico for a rare opportunity to spend a week or two away from home, forging bonds and trying new things.
Jennifer Post, a 19-year-old from Chesterfield, said she has been attending the camp for "so long I lost count."
She said she most enjoys making new friends, and her hope is that before she leaves today, she can "make the biggest splash at the pool and make the loudest song ever."
. . .
Campers vary in age from 5 to 89, with most toward the lower end of the range.
They eat together, bunk together, swim, dance and attend barbecues and talent shows. Nature hikes, music sessions, and arts and crafts also are on the daily agenda.
"On any given day, we have 100 people with disabilities," said Shirley O'Brien, the camp director. "We take individuals who need all levels of care -- from mild disabilities to profound disabilities."
A highlight for many campers is horseback riding, thanks to Sonny Applewhite, a retired Chesterfield police captain who has been offering his 60-acre farm and horses since the 1960s.
Ellis Bingham, known as "Bing" among campers, has been attending Camp Baker for five summers. The 18-year-old has cerebral palsy and motors around camp in his power wheelchair.
"As a parent, you want your child to be able to experience everything to the fullest of their ability," said his mother, Anna Bingham. "It's very fulfilling, because I know he's having a good time and getting to do things he doesn't get to do on a day-to-day basis. He gets to meet new people and cool counselors and experience camp just like other kids."
Counselors, who come from all over the world, receive two weeks of training before camp begins on how to care for the campers.
"It's really challenging but very rewarding at the same time -- one of the hardest but one of the best things I've ever done," said Mulry, a first-year counselor who is studying social inclusion at Trinity University College in Wales.
"It's the small things that mean a lot," she added, "like when a camper comes here terrified of the water but by the end of the week will swim right in to the pool."
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Camp Baker's nine buildings are custom-made for those with disabilities. Everything down to the showers and dining tables are built to accommodate individual needs. A nurse and counselors share responsibility for campers' well-being.
"On any check-in day for summer camp, we have more than 300 medications coming in," O'Brien said.
The cost for ARC to care for each camper is about $900, O'Brien said, but the cost to families is $700, thanks to donations and scholarships available to some through the county and state.
"We try not to turn anyone away," she said.
O'Brien, in her first year as director of Camp Baker services, said she's happy to see the camp growing and is feeling at home already.
"I love it here. The camp setting is ideal, and these kids are very special. They've taught me a great deal about caring and patience and giving back to others," she said.
Camp Baker operates year-round and offers adult day support and after-school programs along with respite-care services.
Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or whester@timesdispatch.com.
Related Links: http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/CAMP13_20090812-215804/285744/#
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