Camp ASCCA Blog

Between fundraisers, Christmas Weekend preparations, and ASCCA on the Road, we have been moving nonstop lately. Over the past two weeks our staff has made stops at five different schools in Alabama to speak with students and parents about Camp as a part of our “ASCCA on the Road” efforts.

Payless ShoeSource employees from throughout the Southeast joined us today for a day of construction and cleaning around Camp ASCCA. The group was led by Kevin Rickman, the District Leader for Payless in the Atlanta area. They volunteered to spend their day resurfacing the George Proctor Bridge and cleaning up the porch area surrounding the Oscar C. Dunn Rotary Environmental Center.

We’re gearing up for our second annual Camp ASCCA Jingle Jump on Saturday, December 10th, and we want you to join us this year in raising funds for Camp ASCCA! Last year we started the Jingle Jump in an effort to raise money for the ASCCA Campership fund that helps campers attend each summer.

The Atlantic Pacific Tang Soo Do Federation is a worldwide organization that specializes in the certification of quality martial arts by developing professional instructors and studio owners. According to the APTSDF website their mission is “to promote traditional martial arts for the 21^st century and raise the standard of professionalism to a level that has here to for not been available.”

As the new Aquatics Program Specialist, Heather is primarily responsible for the Pool, Waterslide, Splash Pad, Tubing, and Boating programs. Her favorite part of the job is having the opportunity to share the aquatics activities she grew up loving on the Tennessee River with all of the campers that come through the gates of Camp ASCCA here on Lake Martin. Over the summer, Camp stole her heart, and she knew that she could not leave such an impactful place.

Last Thursday we were joined by Auburn Junior High School 7^th and 8^th grade students from Tiger Pride and the Student Council for a day of team-building. The Tiger Pride club promotes school spirit, student pride, and random acts of kindness. The goal of the day was for each team to become stronger when working together and maximize their communication skills when obstacles are put in their way.

Camp ASCCA weekend events often come with special treats. On Friday, members of the Alexander City Elks Lodge joined us for a sweet treat and served ice cream to campers and staff. The owner of the local Dairy Cream, Mike Lucas, once again was generous enough to donate the ice cream for this weekend. They provided flavors of strawberry, vanilla, and peanut butter and even included waffle cones!

We have had a spooktacular weekend full of program rotations, costume contests, and old and new friendships. Last night campers and staff arrived to dinner wearing their best and favorite costumes for the annual costume contest and dance. We saw every costume you could think of from, Taco Man, Taco Woman, Mister Pink, Darth Vader, and many more. As the anticipation grew for an announcement of the contest winners, we brought everyone into the dining hall for a night of dancing with their friends and taking silly pictures in the photo booth.

Last night, campers and their families arrived at Camp ASCCA for our annual Fall Family Weekend anticipating a time of ASCCA scares and memorable stories. The weekend began with campers reuniting in the cabins and talking about everything that had happened since they were together this summer.

We recently showed you a few new projects that we are working on here at Camp, and we are continuing to make progress. As promised, here is a new updated to our latest project at Hammocks and Horseshoes.

If you are interested in learning about how Camp ASCCA can visit your school or organization, contact Amber Cotney at amber@campascca.org.

On Tuesday, we were visited by Kevin Rickman and Randy Burgan from Payless ShoeSource. Over the past 5 years, the company has given over $8,200 to Camp through its corporate “Choose to Give” campaign.