Aarons Acres - Serving Children with Special Needs

Aaron’s Acres

“Embracing possibilities beyond disabilities” Our Mission To provide ALL children (ages 5-21) with disabilities, year-round, professionally staffed, social and recreational programs as well emotional and educational support for the entire family

Who We Are 15 years of serving children with special needs in Berks, Dauphin and Lancaster Counties Both summer camp & school-year programs Focus on recreational activities and improving socialization Extensive partnerships in the community

Aaron’s Acres Unique Approach Professional staff with 1:1 or 1:2 staff-to-child ratio No child is turned away regardless of disability or ability to pay Our campers “give back” by participating in community service during camp “ Typical” middle & high school students are paired with each camper in our volunteer Buddy Program

How Supporting Aaron’s Acres Benefits You Your brand is linked to an organization that is respected in the community Aaron’s Acres is approved to receive EITC contributions

“Aaron’s Acres has changed our lives. The staff at Aaron’s Acres focuses on the positive traits of my child; how wonderful is that?!”

–Parent

Aaron’s Acres reaches a broad community of families, organizations and businesses Sponsors are featured at event and program locations and acknowledged in print and social media

Personal reward knowing you are impacting the lives of children with special needs in your community

Aaron’s Acres 102 White Oak Drive, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17601 717-917-6101 • www.aaronsacres.org

Aaron’s Acres Aaron’s Acres is a unique program focused on socialization and recreation for children, ages 5 to 21, with special needs. Our practice is that no child is turned away, regardless of disability or inability to pay. This is possible because we work with a professional staff-to-child ratio of 1:1 or 1:2.

We are committed to being inclusive in all our programs. Inclusion often means the child with special needs must enter a “typical” setting, possibly with an aide, and fit into the “typical” schedule with its demands. We use the term “reverse inclusion” because we bring the “typical” people (buddies and volunteers, ages 12 to 18) into our setting and educate them about children with all types of abilities and disabilities. Here, daily schedules and positive reinforcements are based on the needs of the children who attend Aaron’s Acres. In this way, we create connections and establish friendships among all, regardless of challenges they may face.

HISTORY

• Founded in 1998 by parents interested in a recreational program for their children with special needs

• Aaron is the son of a founding parent, hence, the name Aaron’s Acres

STAFF Dedicated Professional Staff

• Comprised of:

• Undergraduate students in these fields may obtain course credit for their experience at Aaron’s Acres

• 1:1 or 1:2 staff-to-child ratio

• A nurse is present at all programs to address any medical needs

• Special education teachers • Speech therapists • Social workers • Psychologists

Buddy Program

• Started in 2000

• Middle and high school students volunteer their time at Aaron’s Acres

• May receive service hours for this time

• Learn and gain perspective that impacts their entire lives

• Many past buddies choose careers based on their Aaron’s Acres experience

• In 2012, we had approximately 75 buddies in our programs

Aaron’s Acres

102 White Oak Drive, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17601 717-917-6101 • www.aaronsacres.org

PROGRAMS Summer Camp

Acts of Kindness Program

• First summer camp in Lancaster, PA served 11 children with developmental disabilities

• Established in 2009

• Summer Camp 2012 hosted 280 children with special needs, ages 5 to 21

• Gives adolescents with special needs the opportunity to participate in community service projects. Past projects include:

• Camps are hosted in Berks, Dauphin and Lancaster Counties

• Camp activities designed to foster friendship, social development and age appropriateness include:

• Playing bingo with nursing home residents • Making lunches for volunteers of Habitat for Humanity • Cleaning nature park trails • Visiting with retired nuns • Sorting clothes at a homeless shelter

• Swimming • Daily themed fun • Crafts • Dancing

• Dog visits • Music therapy • Therapeutic horseback riding

• Everyone benefits:

• “A-team” program for adolescents diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome began in 2009

Monthly School-Year Program

• Began meeting in 2002

• Friday nights for students ages 13 to 21 with community activities such as movies, bowling, Hershey Park and baseball games

• Saturday afternoons for ages 5 to 12 with age-appropriate recreational activities, including music therapy, crafts, creating snacks, group games and sports • During the 2011–12 school year, 70 children participated in the three counties

• The children feel a sense of purpose and joy in giving, as well as learn possible future job skills • Parents experience pride in seeing their children out in the community serving others • Organizations realize how our children can serve in the community, rather than simply be recipients of services

Family Support

• Family events take place year-round:

• Pampering sessions (massages, manicures)

• Educational programs to address pertinent topics families face

• Programs provide opportunities to connect with others and create a support system

• Pool night • Potluck dinner • Camp carnival • Camp barbecue

• Advocating for the child within the school system • Adolescence and puberty • Transitioning from school to work

FUTURE DREAM It is our hope to be able to expand our programs, both in numbers and through outreach, to new areas, touching the lives of people of all ages and abilities.

Financing The Vision The mission of Aaron’s Acres is supported by three funding sources: 1. P rogram Fees: Parents pay a program fee for both school-year and summer programs 2. F undraising Events: Several major events—such as our volleyball tournament and golf outing—are held throughout the year 3. Grants and Private Donations: Generous donations from foundations, companies, organizations and concerned individuals provide the bedrock of our funding

The importance of our donors: • Parents of children with special needs face constant financial demands, and our program fees—which cover only a small portion of the actual cost per child—are often more than they can afford.

• Those who contribute to our mission through donations, grants and gifts-in-kind bring us closer to the goal of making the program affordable for every family and enable our staff to focus on what really matters—the children.

Fundraising Events

25%

Private Donations & Grants

44%

Program Fees

31%

Aaron’s Acres

102 White Oak Drive, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17601 717-917-6101 • www.aaronsacres.org

Partnerships that Bring Progress Recognizing the power of collective action, Aaron’s Acres seeks out long-term partnerships that bring added benefits to the community and improve the lives of our families.

Purposeful collaboration: • Helps remove the barriers among people of different abilities in the far-reaching community • Improves communication for all partners and among all types of people • Increases the awareness of the needs of children with disabilities and their families • Provides middle school and high school students both community service opportunities and graduation projects but, most of all, the opportunity to develop empathy and understanding • Provides undergraduate and graduate students studying social work, special education, occupational therapy or psychology handson experience in working with those with special needs; we have partnerships with the following educational institutions:

• Alvernia College, Department of Special Education • Elizabethtown College, School of Social Work • Elizabethtown College, School of Music • Elizabethtown College, School of Occupational Therapy • Millersville University, Department of Special Education • Millersville University, Department of Social Work • Penn State Berks Campus, Department of Occupational Therapy

Aaron’s Acres

102 White Oak Drive, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17601 717-917-6101 • www.aaronsacres.org