Meet the Aquatics Staff: Beth Parmer

Beth Parmer is a first time aquatics program staff this year at Camp ASCCA. Beth is from LaGrange, Georgia and has graduated from Auburn University for both zoology conservation and biodiversity in 2011 and rehabilitation and disability studies this year. She plans continuing her education at Chattahoochie Technical College to become a physical therapy assistant. In the future she wants to combine her physical therapy studies along with aquatic therapy. Beth has quite a background in aquatics; swimming competitively through grade school and then her first year at Auburn on the Auburn masters team. She has the experience of teaching swimming lessons for 15 years and being a lifeguard for 13 years. Beth has also coached for Lee County Special Olympics.

Beth heard about camp from Dr. Nick Derzis at Auburn University, as well as Eric Gray, a recreational therapist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Shepard Center. Gray has had personal experience coming to camp because the Shepard Center will visit on special weekends. He told Beth about our camp and she became interested in working here. As part of the aquatics staff, Beth works at several programs such as tubing, canoeing and lifeguarding at the pool.

At Camp ASCCA, Beth has been able to take knowledge from her field and personal experience and apply it here. She says, “the main thing I’ve loved about Camp ASCCA is their mission to show a person what they are capable of doing, despite their disability.” Camp opens up doors to many people to experience things they may have never dreamt of doing. One of her favorite things at camp is to see the way the campers faces light up and to hear their laughter as they are riding the tube or canoeing in Lake Martin. Beth has done an incredible job on the aquatics staff for her first year!

Emily Hedrick, PR
Camp ASCCA
Session 6