IRVINE/LOS ANGELES, July 19, 2023
Media Contact:
Vicki Greenleaf
vicki@greenleafandassociates.com
323.573.5111
Camp is July 30 – Aug. 8
Swimming, boating, ziplining, barbequing, campfires, crafts and more are all rites of summer ... and Camp Easterseals is celebrating 50 years of makes these beloved sleepover camp traditions accessible to everyone, regardless of physical or developmental challenges.
For one week each summer, Easterseals Southern California holds a fully accessible camp in the San Bernardino Mountains in Big Bear at the YMCA’s Camp Oakes location. Camp Easterseals gives 100 people with disabilities the opportunity to fully experience the joys of summer camp. This year’s camp is July 30 through Aug. 8.
On Wednesday, Aug. 2, there will be a 50th anniversary celebration that includes the unveiling of a quilt made from 50 Camp Easterseals t-shirts—one from every year since the camp was launched in 1973—followed by a festival with games, prizes and other treats.
The quilt will be on display for the remainder of camp and will later be displayed at Easterseals headquarters in Irvine.
And once again at this year’s camp, prior to the annual, much-anticipated dance—being held on Thursday, August 3—CVS Health is bringing in a team of 12 beauty advisors who are volunteering their time to do makeup and hair for the campers prior to the big event.
WHAT: Easterseals Camp, July 30 - August 8
WHERE: Camp Oakes, 47400 Monte Vista Dr., Big Bear, CA 92314
R.S.V.P: Vicki Greenleaf @ Vicki@GreenleafAndAssociates.com
Commented Camp Director Amanda Showalter, “I am so thrilled to be celebrating 50 years of Easterseals Camp. As the director for over 10 years, I am consistently reminded that our campers’ lives are bettered by spending time in nature with their ‘camp family.’ We are able to provide activities that they only experience at our camp—The thrill of riding the zip line is an unforgettable moment.”
Says repeat camper Lora Glassman, “Going to camp opened my eyes and changed the person I was inside and out. I saw how everyone was being treated and I realized that all I wanted all these years was to be treated like everyone else. This is the best experience I ever had.”According to the CDC, 25% of U.S. residents, more than 61 million people across the country, have a disability. Of those, 23% live in California (more than 9 million), nearly 5.5 million of them in SoCal. According to the CDC, one in 44 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with 1 in 26 kids in California diagnosed with ASD.
Learn more at: easterseals.com/southerncal
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