Camp & National Down Syndrome Congress Scholarship Newsletter 2019
Apply to Camp Scholarship here. <https://goo.gl/forms/lz37KVlXsCzQHMWh2>
Apply to NDSC Scholarship here. <https://goo.gl/forms/vQvmt6sZHyQXcBx93>
Camp & National Down Syndrome Congress 2018
Summer has been a blast for our members, and it\’s all thanks to you! But don\’t take it from our words, take it from our members.
“Dear Sponsors,
I want to thank you for helping me afford my trip to the Crooked Creek Range summer camp with the Young Life/Capernaum group. I could not have attended without your financial assistance. The camp was such an amazing experience and I had so much fun! There was swimming and hiking and campfires and dancing. The camp helped me learn to be more independent and I made some great friends as well.
I got to build my confidence on the ropes course and horseback rides. And the hike to the top of the mountain taught me to persevere even though I was tired. But mostly I had fun and made memories and friendships that will last forever. So once again, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for making summer camp possible for me and all the other special needs kids. We are grateful and appreciate your support.
Sincerely,
Allison Dohrman”
“Dear DSABV Scholarship Donor,
My daughter, Amanda Hall asked that I write to you and thank you for the generous donation that made it possible for her to attend Camp Blessing Texas this year.
She had a wonderful time with her new buddy, Skylar. Some of the activities that they shared were swimming, archery, zip lining, riding horses and canoeing . She and Skylar participated in talent show, rode go-karts and train at the carnival and of course, her favorite part is going to the cafeteria for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Amanda was truly blessed to have Skylar as her friend and helper this week and wants to keep in touch with her and will hopefully see her again next year.
It give me so much joy to see Amanda smile when we approach the camp and then she starts to giggle the closer we get to the group of kids waiting to welcome her into the camp. She knows so many of them by their camp nicknames, (poprock, mamma mia, jumblejack) to name a few. These young men and women are so dedicated to their positions at the camp, they are true children of GOD.
I am, as a parent of a special needs daughter, so grateful for the Down Syndrome Association and the scholarship sponsors that are so willing to see that my daughter and others are given the opportunity to attend such a wonderful place as Camp Blessing Texas.
Thank you again for the bottom of our hearts
Jo and Amanda Hall”
Jacob Zapalac
 |
 |
“Hi,
Bryce and his family would like to thank you for the camp scholarship to Camp Blessing Texas. If you ask Bryce what his 
favorite thing to do is or where he wants to work when he gets older, he will tell you camp. While at camp Bryce was able to participate in many fun activities such as a carnival, paddle boating, horseback riding, swimming, messy games and his most favorite activity, dancing! Bryce went fishing too and caught a big bass! Bryce was able to see some old friends and make many new friends. Without the camp scholarship Bryce would not have been able to attend camp. We are extremely grateful he was given this opportunity. There are not many activities, especially over night ones, that Bryce is able to participate in. Camp was also a great time for Bryce to gain some independence. It is great for him but also allowed us, his parents, to get some much needed respite. We cannot thank you enough for the financial assistance and helping Bryce get to experience what he loves and looks forward to all year long!
Thank you again,
Bryce Lide and family”
“Dear patron,
Thank you so much for your support for the Down Syndrome Association of Brazos Valley. My entire family was able to attend the national down syndrome convention held in Dallas this year. My son, Michael, is 20 years old so we were especially interested in the many workshops on financial planning, independent living, etc.
Additionally, we enjoy the camaraderie of being with other parents who are living the same reality. This too, was informative! Thank you again for your support in making it possible for us to attend.
The Dave Schmitz family
Dave, Rose, and Michael”
“Dear people who help me go to camp:
Thank you so much. I am so proud of you for being so nice. I love Young Life Crooked Creek Camp.
Love,
Quentin White”
“To the many generous people who helped make it possible for our son to attend camp:THANK YOU. Words can\’t express what it means to us to have the opportunity to send our son Quentin to Young Life Camp in Colorado. It has given him a special sense of purpose, helped him to become more independent, given us a brief respite, and has solidified his core life values, especially LOVE for his fellow human beings. All this in part because of you. We appreciate you so much.
Sam and Sondra White
(Q\’s parents)“
“Sara had a fabulous time at the 2018, “Reach For The Stars,” National Down Syndrome Congress Convention in Dallas, Tex
as. She was apprehensive about going to the teen/young adult sessions independently on the first day. When she walked into the first session and saw friends at her table she was eager to go each morning. She opened up more each day and she even signed herself up to participate in the talent show. Sara gained more independence and self advocacy skills from the conference. She made friendships and shared interests with new people. The conference boosted her self confidence and awareness of her abilities.
As a parent, I attended sessions on the Able Act, which was new to me. I also attended sessions on estate planning, steps to living independently, and other sessions that are applicable to Sara (and our family) at this time. Sara\’s sister attended sibling sessions at the conference as well. I have rarely seen her so excited and exhilarated about anything. She gained much knowledge and information from all her sessions.
Thank you for awarding Sara a scholarship to attend this conference and making this experience more affordable for our entire family.
Sincerely,
Jennifer, Sara, & Kayla Siegert”
“Dear DSABV donors,
My son Lorenzo Foxworth was the recipient of a scholarship through you this summer and we would like to thank you the donors who made this possible. With this gener
ous help Lorenzo was able to participate in a wonderful Camp experience with Young Life at Crooked Creek in Colorado. He enjoyed every bit of it, from traveling there by plane with his friends and Capernaum Leaders, all the fun activities, hikes, ropes curse, riding horses and of course the fellowship.
We have a few pictures that show how happy he was at Crooked Camp. He cant wait to be part of this experience again next summer. Again, thanks to the generous donors that made this wonderful experience possible for Lorenzo.
Sincerely,
Lorenzo, Gaby and Bill Foxworth”
onations to make it possible for him to attend Camp Blessing this summer. It is his absolute favorite place to go. He works very hard through out the year doing chores such as feeding and taking care of his dog Humphrey, cleaning his room, assisting with laundry and dishes to raise money to attend camp. But camp is very expensive and appreciates the assistance that he has been given. This assistance has allowed him to attend Camp Blessing were he can make new friends and face new challenges like zip lining and boating. It has helped Riley become more independent and realize that he does not always need Mom, that he can do it himself. It has greatly helped his self confidence. At camp Riley can be himself and not worry about how others might be judging him because he might not be just like him. “Dear Donors,
Thank you for helping out on Wyatt’s cost to Powersports summer camp. As you can see by the video, he loves it! This camp makes him smile. It allows Wyatt to be active while having such fun.It also allows him to interact with other children, which he does not get to do during the school year.
Thank you,
Wendy, Jay & Wyatt Branum”
“Thank you for making it possible for Amber to attend Camp Blessing. The director and I figured it has been about 7 years that Amber has attended. There is no place in the world like this. There was a mother in front of me that traveled from Lubbock to bring her daughter.
Amber loves the place and I feel safe leaving her there. While Amber is gone, we try to focus on the other two, Lauren 16 and Wesley 15. Both are younger than Amber and done great having to be in the special situation. This year we did a day trip to Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. They had a blast with Mom and Dad focusing on them. Having a special needs child can be difficult. But having two others that don\’t have special needs and keeping their life normal presents special challenges. This scholarship means a lot to Amber but it means just as must to the Lauren and Wesley along with Mom and Dad.
Thank you for giving all three of my kids a great week!
Angela and Amber Bernshausen”
“Sydney never stops talking about Camp Blessing, she really does talk about it Year round! Every few days she will ask when she is going next. Sydney remembers year round as well the songs she sang at camp and little bits of teaching! The thing that stands out to me the most is that she tries things at camp she doesn\’t do any other time. So Camp Blessing is a huge part of her life.
However, it would not be available to her without the DSABV and generous sponsorship from donors. As a single part of 5 kids I can only do so much and rely heavily on scholarships! I don\’t get every other weekend off or a break in the summer like most single parents. This is the one and only break I get through out the year so its important for me as a mom that she be able to go.
I cannot thank you enough for using your resources to allow Sydney to go to camp every year.
Thanks so much! Tracy Baker and Sydney.”
Thanks to everyone who donated and matched our Camp scholarship at the gala, DSABV has been able to fund 11 camp scholarships and 4 scholarships to National Down Syndrome Congress this year for a total of 15 scholarships.
Camp Scholarship Recipients
|
NDSC scholarship recipients
|
‘