SPRING 2011 Quarterly Newsletter • frostvalley.org


A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO A Publication for Friends of Frost Valley YMCA Jerry Huncosky, CEO


In February, I flew to San Diego to attend the American Camp Association Conference. On the way, I read a thought-provoking book titled “Switch: How to Change Tings When Change Is Hard.” According to the authors, change requires more than just the will to do something differently. It requires the belief that you can indeed make the change, accompanied by a balance of the emotional and rational thinking involved in the change and then clearing the path to make that change possible.


I attended a session at the conference devoted to children with Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism, and was struck by the fact that each day in the field of human services we must balance emotional and rational thinking.


Two of Frost Valley YMCA’s core values, caring and inclusiveness, symbolize that balance. As we do the hard work and give rational thought to the practice of inclusiveness with children of differing abilities in our camp programs, an effort which has proven successful for all involved, we meet the emotional need you and I both have to care about others. Now Frost Valley wants to advance inclusiveness and caring even farther by embracing more opportunities to serve children with special needs and we need to clear that path.


Te emotional side of this decision to expand our inclusiveness was easy: it’s good for everyone. But we had to look rationally at the other part of the decision to change and that included the hands-on work needed to be done to implement this expansion, reaching out to experts in the field, communications to parents, and staff education and training with autistic differences in areas such as communication, social interaction, and repetitive behaviors. With expanded awareness, kids are being diagnosed with autism more frequently which makes this decision even more timely.


I believe in this change for Frost Valley, and I am convinced that we have the tools and human resources to serve children with autism. But we need your help. Your caring about inclusiveness is a vital component in the next step of our growth. Please consider a donation in support of this initiative and other children with special needs that you will read about in this issue.


I am proud that Frost Valley can willingly embrace change and implement programs as important to our society as inclusiveness at camp.


Tank you for helping to clear the path by supporting Frost Valley and all the many programs that we offer to our community and our world.


Build Strong, Frost Valley Life ISSUE THIS IN


P.1 Life Away From Home P.2 Donors Fortify a Girl’s Life


P.3 New Face of Summer Camp Forstmann Grandson Visits


P.4 Upcoming Events


PREPARATION FOR LIFE AWAY FROM HOME


Julian Berg was seven years old before he was fully toilet trained. Te milestones that parents chart came much more slowly than for most children. His cognitive impairment is genetic and the leading cause for retardation in boys. By the time he was 10, his parents, Barry Berg and Susan Cohen, felt he was ready for the Mainstreaming at Camp (MAC) program at Frost Valley YMCA.


Barry remembers being a nervous wreck when he leſt Julian on arrival day. “It was the first time he was away from us except for an overnight with his grandparents. We didn’t know how he would react or if he would be homesick,” Barry said. Julian is not equipped to report verbally on his experiences.


Parental distress was relieved when Julian’s counselor called: ‘If we hadn’t known it was his first time away, we wouldn’t have guessed it’ and ‘no homesickness.’


Over the years Julian’s social interactions with typical campers has been more and more successful. “He gets shout-outs,” Barry said, “Everybody knows him! He doesn’t have friendships the way other kids do, but we can tell on departure day when we come to pick him up that he definitely feels he belongs at Frost Valley.” Tere have been no behavior problems for Julian at camp. In fact, the outdoor activities and being surrounded by a pristine environment are beneficial for reducing stress levels – the same relaxation that everybody else feels during a stay at Frost Valley.


Julian’s inclusion has benefits, not only for him, but for others, too. MAC has changed stereotypes, perceptions, and attitudes of children and staff. When Julian reaches out to campers not in his program their responses show caring and respect which builds agreement with diversity. He feels part of the camp community and the camp community accepts him.


Jerry Huncosky, CEO (story continued on pg 2)


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