NEWS RELEASE

Contact:            Marjorie Davis            
Spokesperson, Association of Alabama Camps             June 11, 2008         

No Arms, Legs, But Camper Clings to Camp Experience

Dadeville, AL -- Imagine being 7 years old, going off to sleep away camp for the first time.  Now envision doing so without having limbs to help keep you on a horse or help you swim.  This was reality for Allison Wetherbee, who was born without arms and legs most likely due to a drug her mother took to combat nausea while pregnant.  Just like any other child her age, she wanted to go to camp.

During her camp search, she was told her mother would have to join her.  But Allison valued her independence.  After searching for other options, the Wetherbees found Camp ASCCA.  “My parents just wanted me to have as normal a life as possible.  They felt allowing me to attend camp would help me grow and be more independent,” states Wetherbee.

Allison, now age 37, delights in seeing the surprise on the faces of her listeners when she recounts how she spent her summers at camp as a child.  She enjoyed the typical summer camping activities including swimming, horseback riding, and canoeing.  “I love being on the water!”  Currently, the most popular activities at Camp ASCCA are adventure sports:  Outdoor ropes coarse, rappelling wall, and zip line.  “These are not the type of activities people expect to see at a camp for kids with severe injury, chronic illnesses, mental or physical disabilities.  ASCCA makes activities accessible to accommodate whomever we are serving,” explains Wetherbee.

Allison credits her parents and her experience at Camp ASCCA with giving her the confidence to graduate high school, obtain a college degree from AUM, and ultimately earn a Master’s Degree in Social Work Mental Health Counseling.  In December, Allison left her job as a counselor in North Alabama to return to the place that inspired her.  She is back at Camp ASCCA and thriving as Public Relations Director for the facility.  “The friends I made, the self-esteem I gained, and confidence I got from caring people at camp truly changed my life and inspired me to become the independent person I am today.”

“While not every child’s camping experience begins with a challenge as big as Allison’s, all children face challenges growing up.  Summer camps across the state foster independence and self-reliance in children by allowing them to try supervised activities they do not have access to at home,” adds Allen McBride, co-owner of Camp Mac in Munford, AL and President of the Association of Alabama Camps.  “We want everyone in Alabama to know that there is a camping experience suited for every need and budget.”

ASCCA is the world’s largest therapeutic recreation facility focusing on children and adults with disability.  ASCCA's goal is to serve those who can derive maximum benefit from the resident camp experience and provide a healthier, happier, longer, and more productive life for children and adults of all abilities. Camp ASCCA conducts camp using "reverse mainstreaming" by including non-disabled persons with disabled persons. It is one of the few remaining camps in the US associated with Easter Seals.  This summer, Camp ASCCA has camp programs designed for campers with Muscular Dystrophy, Epilepsy, head injuries, Sickle Cell Anemia, Spina Bifida, Multiple Sclerosis, Downs Syndrome, and Autism as well as camp programs for mental and physically disabled adults and children.

1st Photo: Allison Wetherbee as a camper in 1978 at Camp ASCCA painting
2nd Photo: Allison Wetherbee with a 2008 camper

Additional resources:           

www.campascca.org
www.alabamacamps.org