eSpecially Ben

“One of the best things I have seen children experience during a TR Summer Camp is…summer camp! At TR camps, every child is encouraged to participate in all activities, to the best of their ability. Whether the plan for the day includes pottery, music, swimming, gardening activities, a field trip, or a visit with snakes and turtles…each and every day holds surprises and the potential for learning. I love seeing the children form friendships…especially when the “camp buddies” get together outside of camp, too.”   -- Karen, Camp Staff Therapeutic Recreation Camp is $100 per week per child and includes 5 full days of activities and field trips. The price is reasonable, but can still be a burden for families. Amazing Race is a fundraising event for the scholarship fund. We have an eSpecially Ben team for Amazing Race and we need your help. A $5 or $10 donation will go a long way. ****As of 2/16/12 at 4pm, Amazing Race has been cancelled. Thank you for your support! **** You c

Mecklenburg County's Therapeutic Recreation's Amazing Race is Saturday, March 24, 2012. All funds raised go directly to the scholarship fund for summer camp. Summer Camp is 8 weeks long with over 150 children with special needs participating. Last year, over $6,500 was given away in scholarships. In times of budget cuts and loss of resources, Amazing Race is a creative way for the staff to raise money for the children who may need financial assistance attending camp. I will be posting photos from 2011 camp. I am only posting photos that do not show faces of the children, but you will get the idea about how much they enjoy the activities. You don't have to see their smiles, you just have to feel them. The staff have sent me their thoughts on how they feel about camp and I will be posting those as well. Most are trained as recreational therapists and have devoted their life's work to helping children and adults with special needs learn skills, make friends, de

We made changes in our house when it comes to dinnertime. The biggest one is that whatever we serve, the kids eat too. In the past, I cooked another kid friendly meal. To tell the truth, sometimes I made a third special meal just for Ben. It was a lot of cooking for every evening. My friend and I started in December sharing our dinner meals - she cooks twice a week for my family and I cook twice for her family. We basically double the recipe and deliver the meal to the other family.  It is working out - we are getting new tasty meals and I have less work in the kitchen each week. I also think the appreciation we get from another family adds to the joy of cooking a good meal. When we started the shared cooking, I decided the kids had to eat what we eat. It has been a challenge, and they have eaten a few bowls of cereal and PB&J when the meal just was not going down. However, they have tried things they would never have had the opportunity to try. And sometimes, to their great surpr