JINGLE JUMP

STORY BY BREANNA MANLEY PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMP ASCCA

Volunteers make a splash to raise cash for Lake Martin's Camp ASCCA programs

DDana Rickman, director of marketing communications for Alabama’s Special Camp for Children and Adults, is hard at work for the eighth annual Jingle Jump fundraiser, set to take place on Dec. 10. With a whopping $52,000 raised at the Jingle Jump last year, Rickman and the rest of the camp’s staff are excited to see what the community can pull off this go around. The Jingle Jump is the biggest fundraiser the camp organizes, and since the beginning, the event has involved camp staff, campers and anyone else who would be willing to participate. “We were looking for a fundraiser to involve a lot of people. We wanted to involve our campers, our staff, friends of Camp ASCCA and anybody who would be interested in an event like this. It’s our eighth year, and it’s been very successful. We wanted to do something unique,” Rickman explained. Those who choose to participate in the event raise money for the privilege of jumping into the freezing cold swimming pool at Camp ASCCA. The jump raises money for all the needs of the campers who visit and stay at Camp ASCCA. For those who want to avoid a dip, donations are another way to support the camp’s fundraising efforts. “We have a lot of summer staff participate, and we actually have a few campers participate, either by jumping in themselves or asking a counselor to jump for them. We have board members, camp friends, and a lot of our full-time staff that do it. Anybody can do it,” Rickman said. According to Rickman, those 16 and under are required to have their parents’ permission to jump in the pool for the fundraiser. All ages love to participate in the event to support the camp. Though last year’s proceeds from the event were their highest since the fundraiser began, funds raised have remained consistently in the $40,00 to $50,000 range since the beginning. “The money raised is for our campership fund, and that’s helping someone with disabilities go to summer camp and other special events we do,” she explained.

Sign-up for this year’s Jingle Jump is still open. Those who are interested in participating for the cause can find more information about the event and sign up as a donor or jumper on the camp’s website at campascca.org. Camp updates also can be found on social media pages, which are a great way to stay informed on what’s going of around the camp.

Camp ASCCA, which has been operating since 1973, offers weekend and summer camps for children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities while hosting other events tailored to their camp visitors.

“During the summer we have our weeklong sessions running June through the beginning of August, and those are Sunday through Friday camps. The rest of the year, we have our own weekend camps. We also serve groups that serve people with disabilities that will come and use our facilities. We also serve groups that don’t have disabilities. We offer day camps, field trips, organizational meetings. We host those throughout the whole year,” Rickman explained.

One of Camp ASCCA’s most highly anticipated events is the Christmas Camp, which begins Dec. 9 and lasts until Dec. 11. The Jingle Jump takes place during this camp every year. Another popular camp hosted at Camp ASCCA is the rookie camp, which has been a camp event for the past three years. Rookie camp gives children and adults the chance to try out summer camp to see if they like it.

Rickman has held her position at Camp ASCCA since 1999 and has enjoyed seeing how much good the camp does for so many. A couple of her primary duties include focusing on all of the fundraising efforts and manning the marketing campaigns.

“We’re so blessed to have the Jingle Jump fundraiser,” Rickman said.

For the calendar of events, updates and more ways to volunteer and donate, check out the website at campascca.org.

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