CYO Camp Rancho Framasa reaches out to include children with disabilities
Catholic Youth Organization camp counselor Vicky Hathaway and 10-year-old Marissa Pate smile as they play in the pool at CYO Camp Rancho Framasa in Brown County. Marissa is one of about 35 children with disabilities who will enjoy a camping experience at Camp Rancho Framasa this summer thanks to the inclusive approach of the CYO Camp. (Submitted photo/Kent Hughes)
By John Shaughnessy
Brown County—You could start this story with a mother’s dream, a dream that all parents have for their children.
Or you could begin the tale with how three special people worked to make the dream come true for a little girl.
Yet maybe the best place to start is with the child who is living the dream on this sun-drenched summer afternoon marked by soft white clouds drifting across the blue sky.
At 10, Marissa Pate spashes in the swimming pool at Catholic Youth Organization Camp Rancho Framasa, smiling and squealing with delight as she plays amid the other smiling and squealing campers.
On this picture-perfect afternoon, Marissa is the picture of contentment—a child soaked to the skin with fun and joy on a carefree summer day.
It’s the dream moment that Nancy Pate has always wanted for her daughter, a child with autism whose disability often leads her to struggle to find her place in the world.
“We want her to keep going forward in life and become as independent as possible,” says Nancy Pate, Marissa’s mother. “This is her first overnight camp. She’s just a fun person. She can get frustrated easily and she’s busy, but I’ll tell you what, she brings a smile to your face. I’m just excited and honored that she was approached and invited by the archdiocese to do this.”
Doing God’s work
For about 15 years, the Camp Rancho Framasa staff have consciously worked to make an inclusive camp experience possible for children with disabilities, according to Mary Beth O’Brien, the assistant camp director.
“We include kids with disabilities as part of what we do,” O’Brien says. “Anyone should be able to come to camp and have a good time. We hope that’s something kids take with them from camp. It’s all part of learning and growing, and appreciating everyone for who they are.”
In the eight weeks of this summer’s camp, Rancho Framasa will have been a welcoming place for about 35 children with special needs. Some of the children have Down syndrome. Others have cerebral palsy. A significant number, including Marissa, have different degrees of autism.
“We try to do a lot of coordinating with the family,” O’Brien says. “With Marissa being a first-time camper, we thought a three-day camp would be the best experience for her. I talked to Marissa’s mom about what her needs might be and the activities we have. That’s information we use. Marissa’s mom heard about camp through SPRED (the archdiocese’s Special Religious Development catechesis program). She was offered a campership. We have funds for that through donations.”
The idea to send Marissa to CYO Camp came from Roni Wyld, the coordinator of the SPRED program for the archdiocese.
The SPRED ministry emphasizes faith- sharing for people with disabilities, and prepares them to receive the sacraments of baptism, reconciliation and the Eucharist.
Marissa is a member of the SPRED program at St. Simon the Apostle Parish in Indianapolis.
“It’s really hard to find camps for people with special needs 24-7,” Wyld says. “The CYO Camp just looks at Marissa as a little girl who just wants to go to camp. I just wanted that for Marissa because I thought it would be fun for her. I also wanted her parents to know there are other people who look at their daughter the way they do—as a beautiful little girl first. And CYO Camp is one of those places where there are people like that. The people there think they are doing God’s work.”
People like Vicky Hathaway, who served as Marissa’s one-on-one camp counselor during the child’s recent three-day stay at Rancho Framasa.
“I like being a counselor who gives one-on-one support,” says Hathaway, a 2009 graduate of Marian University in Indianapolis who completed a double major of Catholic studies and psychology. “You get to know the child better. It ended up really great with Marissa. She’s a really cute kid. She has a fun laugh and a cute giggle. She brought a smile to my face. We had a lot of fun together.”
‘I just think it was wonderful’
After three days, the bond between Marissa and Vicki was noticeable. It’s a bond that requires patience and love—qualities that every child deserves.
“There is good research about the benefits of this kind of approach to camp,” O’Brien says. “What we see on a daily basis and what we hear from parents and kids, too, is that there’s a boost in confidence and independence in the kids, and a willingness to try new things. It’s also beneficial for kids to be around people who are different from them, to experience the diversity of others.”
It’s all part of the experience, right down to the joyful image of Marissa smiling and splashing in a swimming pool surrounded by people who saw her as another child having the time of her life.
“It was really fun being at the pool with Marissa and the other girls,” Hathaway says. “We sat by the pool, we bounced around in the water and we jumped into the pool. The girls in the group loved to swim with us and play with us.”
O’Brien adds, “Marissa touched a lot of people. She’s a child who makes you see the need to accept people for who they are and where they are in their lives. It’s humbling to be able to serve kids in this way.”
The experience was also rewarding for Marissa and her mother.
“I just think it was wonderful that she got to be at an overnight camp with other kids who didn’t have disabilities,” Nancy Pate says. “The other kids were interacting with her, and the people who worked with her were terrific. I hope she gets to experience something like that again. I’m thrilled for her.”
A child’s dream and a mom’s dream has come true. †
