Camps 4 Kids w/Autism (Like Me!)
Donation protected
Dear Reader,
My mom started RAIN in 2012. She did this for me. My name is Matthew Davis and I am now 15 years old and I have autism. It has been a hard road. I think I do okay but then I am never really sure. My mom left the job she loved to start a summer camp for kids like me. In the summer I had nowhere to go. My younger sister did but then she is super social and I am not. Mom sent me to a couple of camps but I always got kicked out. I did not mean to be "difficult", I just did not get it and in some ways, I still don't. Mom finally decided to just start a camp of her own specifically for kids like me. Turns out, she gets it!
Mom found a special education teacher to help out. Considering I did not care much for teachers 'cause the ones at my school made it very clear that they did not "get me", I was anxious about this lady. Guess what? Catherine Pall gets it too and she has become like part of my family! My mom, Catherine and my older brother Bryan Kirby have created a very cool summer camp and year round social skills program for kids like me. All three of them have given up a lot to help us kids with autism. Pretty cool, right?
Over the last four summers camp has really grown. We started with 8 the first summer and last summer we had over 200 kids come through camp. I was a little overwhelmed but all of the volunteers and camp kids seemed to be just fine. Mom and Catherine had the idea to use peer buddies from the local schools. That has been really cool and we have had lots of volunteers. Some of them have gone back to their schools and have told their friends about camp and RAIN. They have also seen some of the campers at school and now they are friends with them! Nice!!
One thing for sure is that all of the people involved in RAIN and Camp Free2BMe seem to really love what they do. So much that they started Social Saturday's. That is a program on Saturdays to give all kids an opportunity to work on their social skills and it gives their parents some time to themselves. We cook and do some acting and practicing our social skills.
I tell you all of this because I know that finances are always tight. My mom, Catherine and Bryan never turn away anyone that can't afford it. Last year transportation for camp cost close to $15,000. That is because they rented vans to take everyone on field trips four days a week! Then they bought us a bus at the end of the summer so we can all ride together on field trips. It needs a serious paint job but we thought it was pretty cool.
So, we can always use help to finance camp for kids that can't afford it. Camp cost $325/week. We need to paint the bus and we have winter break camp, spring break camp and other stuff for Social Saturdays coming up. We always need groceries for cooking class, and of course insurance to pay. My mom says every dime matters, so if you could help that would be awesome. Mom, Catherine and Bryan have worked really hard and they really want to keep going.
RAIN has sure made a difference in my life and I know it has made a difference for the kids that come here because they keep coming back!
Many thanks from me, Matthew Davis
My mom started RAIN in 2012. She did this for me. My name is Matthew Davis and I am now 15 years old and I have autism. It has been a hard road. I think I do okay but then I am never really sure. My mom left the job she loved to start a summer camp for kids like me. In the summer I had nowhere to go. My younger sister did but then she is super social and I am not. Mom sent me to a couple of camps but I always got kicked out. I did not mean to be "difficult", I just did not get it and in some ways, I still don't. Mom finally decided to just start a camp of her own specifically for kids like me. Turns out, she gets it!
Mom found a special education teacher to help out. Considering I did not care much for teachers 'cause the ones at my school made it very clear that they did not "get me", I was anxious about this lady. Guess what? Catherine Pall gets it too and she has become like part of my family! My mom, Catherine and my older brother Bryan Kirby have created a very cool summer camp and year round social skills program for kids like me. All three of them have given up a lot to help us kids with autism. Pretty cool, right?
Over the last four summers camp has really grown. We started with 8 the first summer and last summer we had over 200 kids come through camp. I was a little overwhelmed but all of the volunteers and camp kids seemed to be just fine. Mom and Catherine had the idea to use peer buddies from the local schools. That has been really cool and we have had lots of volunteers. Some of them have gone back to their schools and have told their friends about camp and RAIN. They have also seen some of the campers at school and now they are friends with them! Nice!!
One thing for sure is that all of the people involved in RAIN and Camp Free2BMe seem to really love what they do. So much that they started Social Saturday's. That is a program on Saturdays to give all kids an opportunity to work on their social skills and it gives their parents some time to themselves. We cook and do some acting and practicing our social skills.
I tell you all of this because I know that finances are always tight. My mom, Catherine and Bryan never turn away anyone that can't afford it. Last year transportation for camp cost close to $15,000. That is because they rented vans to take everyone on field trips four days a week! Then they bought us a bus at the end of the summer so we can all ride together on field trips. It needs a serious paint job but we thought it was pretty cool.
So, we can always use help to finance camp for kids that can't afford it. Camp cost $325/week. We need to paint the bus and we have winter break camp, spring break camp and other stuff for Social Saturdays coming up. We always need groceries for cooking class, and of course insurance to pay. My mom says every dime matters, so if you could help that would be awesome. Mom, Catherine and Bryan have worked really hard and they really want to keep going.
RAIN has sure made a difference in my life and I know it has made a difference for the kids that come here because they keep coming back!
Many thanks from me, Matthew Davis
Organizer
bryan kirby
Organizer
Tuckahoe, VA