Camp RAE 5K run benefits summer program for special needs children

Credit: JOHN D. RUSSELL/MORNING NEWS

Occupational therapist Leslie Wase works with camper Nyru Williams on July 12. Camp RAE is a month-long summer camp that offers children with multiple disabilities therapy in the summer months in a one-on-one atmosphere.

By: Traci Bridges | SCNow
Published: September 02, 2010

FLORENCE — Local runners and exercise enthusiasts will have a chance to run or walk for a cause next month.
Camp RAE’s Second Annual 5K Run will begin at 9 a.m. Oct. 16 at Legion Field in Florence. Strollers and wheelchairs are welcome. In addition to the 5K, there will be a concession stand and carnival games.
Camp RAE was founded a year ago by Deana Strickland and a few other Pee Dee residents who recognized a need for a summer program to provide therapy and educational interaction for non-mobile special needs children.
The idea for the camp began growing after Strickland’s 4-year-old daughter, Allie, attended Pattison’s Academy in Charleston, a summer program for children with severe and multiple disabilities that provides these children an opportunity to get continuing therapy services during the summer months when school is out.
Allie has quadriplegic cerebral palsy. Her twin sister, Ransome, is fully abled.
Strickland was so impressed with Pattinson’s that she told her friend Allison King about it. King also has a special needs child, Evelyn. Evelyn has CHARGE syndrome and as a result, is deaf, blind and developmentally disabled.
Both King and Strickland agreed Florence needed a camp like Pattison’s Academy. This summer, Camp RAE — named for Ransome, Allie and Evelyn — became a reality.
Ten children attended the inaugural five-week day camp. Each child has an assistant and several physical therapists who were able to work with each one in a more individual setting. Children received physical, occupational, speech, special education, music, aqua and massage therapy. They also enjoyed arts, crafts, fun activities and field trips to Lynches River County Park splash pad.
“It was such a good experience,” Strickland said. “The children got so much out of it. We even had one child walk for the very first time.”
Strickland said the camp came together as a result of the work of many dedicated people and a supportive community. Denise Finklea, a friend of Strickland’s and president of the Camp RAE board, has been helping to establish the summer camp from the beginning. Many community groups also have held fundraisers and donated supplies.
Registration is from 8 to 8:45 a.m., and those interested in participating can find a registration form on www.camprae.org. The pre-registration fee is $20 through Oct. 9, which includes a T-shirt and refreshments at the end of the race. After Oct. 9, the registration fee is $25 per participant. Those who register after Oct. 9 are not guaranteed a shirt.
For more information about the run or Camp RAE, e-mail campraeinfo@gmail.com. Donations to the camp can be made in care of Anderson Brothers Bank, P.O. Box 12857, Florence, SC 29504.

Camp RAE 5K run benefits summer program for special needs children

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