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Camp SMILE Featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Thanks to ABC television’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and the Gaudet family of Mobile, Alabama, United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile was able to showcase Camp SMILE: a week of traditional summer camp activities for over 240 individuals with disabilities.
Located in south Alabama, Camp SMILE provides more than just horseback riding, swimming pools, and paddleboats. For many campers, it offers unique opportunities to participate in physical activities. For others, it offers a rare opportunity to spend time away from their families. And, over the past 16 years, it has provided more than 1500 kids with their first taste of freedom.
Although some of the campers have no disability, the overwhelming majority of them require one-on-one supervision. In fact, because of the severity of their disabilities, Camp SMILE is the only camp available to more than half of the children. Our unique one-to-one camper-to-counselor ratio helps campers adjust to life outside of their normal settings, and the 24-hour per day presence of a Registered Nurse helps to ensure everyone’s safety.
Dates for 2009 camp are:
| Week 1 (9-15 years of age): | TBD |
| Week 2 (3-8 years of age): | TBD |
| Week 3 (16-24 years of age): | TBD |
| Week 4 (25+ years of age): | TBD |
We encourage you to become involved with Camp SMILE. Call UCP of Mobile at (251) 479-4900 or visit www.CampSMILEMobile.com or www.UCPMobile.org for more information. Check, money order, and credit card donations are always welcome. Please make your contribution payable to:
UCP of Mobile
3058 Dauphin Square Connector
Mobile, AL 36607
With the help of many, UCP of Mobile and Camp SMILE can continue to create lasting memories for adults and kids (like Peter Gaudet). To see the Gaudet family’s heart warming story and “Extreme Makeover’s” gift to them, click here.
Read More about the Gaudet's experience in UCPeople,
a United Cerebral Palsy internal e-Newsletter
By Marty Wheeler, United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile
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A wonderful event took place in Mobile, Alabama that affected not only a family and a community, but United Cerebral Palsy as well. Many follow the ever popular ABC hit show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. In fact, since its debut in November 2003, the show has quickly become a national darling – due in part – to its wonderful host, designers, corporate partners, and contributions to the public by way of rebuilding homes for those that cannot afford to take on the financial burden of such a task. Over 100 families (with countless more on the horizon) have directly benefited by Extreme Makeover's generosity. One lucky Mobile, Alabama, family recently featured on the show was the Gaudets.
The Stephen (father) and Lydia (mother) are proud parents of six outstanding boys, Joseph (age 22), Christopher (age 20), Thomas (age 17), Patrick (age 15), Michael (age 13), and Peter (age 9) and they have a long history of volunteerism. Their dedication to outreach within the community can be seen throughout their family. Lydia is a volunteer parenting class instructor with Easter Seals, the boys volunteer their time to help others with clean-up during Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, and Christopher is a five-year veteran counselor at Camp SMILE (UCP of Mobile's Summer camp for kids and adults with disabilities). In addition, to their time spent away from home, all are devoted to the well-being of Peter, who has Downs Syndrome.
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Peter was introduced to United Cerebral Palsy of Mobile before the age of one month when UCP's early intervention team was called in to conduct an assessment of Peter's abilities and to offer up services and solutions to Stephen and Lydia. After a period of time utilizing in-home equipment and enhancement programs, Peter was enrolled in UCP's preschool program. This provided a wonderful starting point for his development and introduction to continuing education.
At the age of four – after a successful run at preschool – the Gaudets enrolled Peter in Camp SMILE. He would attend for a week and enjoy swimming, horseback riding, yoga, arts and crafts, and outdoor games (like kickball, tee ball, etc.). The camp's one-to-one counselor-to-camper ratio enabled Peter to take on activities with more of a hands-on approach and strengthened his confidence to take on new challenges.
Camp Director and UCP Childcare Enhancement Specialist, Cecy Lowell reflects, "It is always great to have Peter at camp. He seems to enjoy horseback riding the most. Having Lee [Meyer, the riding instructor] there, along with his counselor, seems to embolden him. You can see the transformation take place, and before you know it, he wants to try new things and even loosens up enough to have a go at yoga."
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Camp SMILE has certainly been a great outlet for the Gaudets. Five years ago, Chris began attending with Peter and started out as a chief trouble shooter for the electronics and computers on-site. Once he settled in, Lowell reassigned him to work with campers as an official counselor... a position he has held ever since.
It is with Chris' love of Camp SMILE and its positive effect on everyone involved that he made the ultimate contribution. During numerous interviews with producers at "Extreme Makeover" he kept talking about camp, his working there, and Peter's attendance. They took notice and cut special segments for the broadcast that highlighted camp and some of Peter's favorite activities. On top of that, CVS Pharmacies (a major sponsor of the build) donated $50,000 to the Gaudets for Peter's needs and additionally, donated $100,000 to UCP of Mobile that will be directly used for services, equipment, and programs at Camp SMILE.
"CVS and ' Extreme Makeover' are first class," said Glenn Harger, President and CEO of UCP of Mobile. "The contribution that CVS Pharmacies has made is truly amazing. This is a shining example that they really care about the well-being of the communities that they serve."
In the end, good things come to those that do well for others. Stephen, Lydia and the boys have a new, bigger and better home, and UCP's Camp SMILE has an unexpected (and welcome) financial boost... all because of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," CVS Pharmacies, and the Gaudet family's dedication.
For more information, Watch the full episode at ABC.com or contact Marty Wheeler at UCP of Moblie at (251) 479-4900
