We just arrived back home to Florida after a 10 hour drive. Camp Twitch and Shout was held July 12 through 18 in Winder, GA, thankfully about 10 minutes from where my niece lives in Statham. I stayed with my niece and her wonderful family, while my daughter Kelsey volunteered as a counselor at the camp.
Why Did We Go to Camp Twitch and Shout?
As I mentioned in a previous blog, Camp Twitch and Shout is a camp for kids ages 7 to 17 with Tourette’s Syndrome. Because our non profit organization is to award college scholarships to students with Tourette’s, when I ran across the camp during a web search, it seemed a natural fit to find out more. This interest resulted in our participation this year, frankly, as a donation of Kelsey’s time to find out more about the camp, its administration and how it benefited the children. Our thoughts were that if we liked the program, we would consider donating some camp attendance scholarships in future years through the non-profit, as that fits our mission.
Camp Twitch and Shout is in Good Hands
Prior to our arrival in town, we made an appointment with camp administrator Tricia Kardon, RN. We sat with Tricia and program coordinator Caleb Harrill and learned about how the camp got started, the programs they’ve created, their constant need for funding and more. Mostly, what impressed us was the total selfless dedication of these two and the rest of the staff to creating a special week-long experience for the kids. It was evident in the stories they told of the kids and families and their passion for the camp that they knew they were making a difference – giving these kids at least one week every summer where they could feel included – and be themselves.
I could write a lot more about what we learned about the camp and maybe I will have Kelsey do a post in the coming days. Her counselor experience was something she will never forget…because she really had not been around other people with Tourettes, and the leaders of the camp have made it a very special experience. Our intention with the camp attendance scholarships has definitely been decided…we hope to donate two $350 attendance scholarships for next summer.
I will leave you with this link to an article that arrived in my inbox today – an article on Camp Twitch and Shout and one of the campers.
It was a very special week for Kelsey and has made us even more dedicated to creating our foundation. I have several goals now that we are back in town – including our second board meeting coming up this week – and I’ll be back here again with updates on our progress!
Diane Diamantis