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Lions Pride Endowment Fund of Wisconsin

~ Today's Help, Tomorrow's Hope for Lions Camp and all WLF Projects

Lions Pride Endowment Fund of Wisconsin

Tag Archives: special needs

Celebrating National Camp Week

06 Thursday Feb 2020

Posted by lionspridewi in Conventions, Giving Tips, Lions Camp, News, Special Events

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aca, american camp association, camping, canoeing, childhoods, conference, development, diabetes, donation, environmental awareness, experience, gift, growth, hiking, interdependence, kayaking, lions pride, national camp week, outdoors, professionals, programming, ray hempel, resources, s'mores, sailing, self-confidence, skills, social skills, special needs, summer, sunsets, swimming

62604557_10157219362669356_951455837270835200_o (1)

Photo Credit to Wisconsin Lions Camp

As we write this post, the thermometer reads 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Although the temperature is far from balmy, we can’t stop thinking about afternoon swimming, vibrant sunsets and gooey s’mores. We know that it may be a bit too early to think about camping in this part of the country, but that isn’t going to stop us from commemorating National Camp Week.

During the second week of February, the American Camp Association hosts the ACA National Conference and has put National Camp Week on the calendar. The ACA is a community of camp professionals who come together to exchange knowledge and expertise to ensure the quality of camp programming. The organization wholeheartedly believes that the camp experience is essential to every child’s growth and development.

Don’t be surprised if that sentiment sounds familiar. Lion Ray Hempel had similar feelings when founding the Wisconsin Lions Camp back in 1956. He personally believed that attending camp would give special children the resources, skills and experiences that would last them far beyond their childhoods. That’s why the American Camp Association and Wisconsin Lions Camp are a seamless fit.

We may not be traveling to San Diego to attend this year’s conference, but we too are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the 2020 camping season. Each year, approximately 1,300 special campers with vision, hearing, intellectual disabilities or autism and Type 1 and 2 Diabetes visit Rosholt for a safe and memorable experience at the Wisconsin Lions Camp.

Each camper has the opportunity for a comprehensive outdoor program, which includes (but is certainly not limited to) participating in overnight camping, learning about protecting the environment, canoeing, hiking, swimming, sailing and kayaking. The overarching goals of Lions Camp are to assist each camper in developing self-confidence, interdependence, social skills, outdoor recreational skills and environmental awareness. But above all, we want them to have fun and come back again.

Last year, we were proud to help send 150 children to the Wisconsin Lions Camp with the help of our generous supporters. Will you help us send them again in 2020? Consider donating to Lions Pride Endowment Fund, to help us carry on the beloved summer tradition in perpetuity. We cannot thank you enough for your continued support.

Sending you warm, summer thoughts during National Camp Week!

The Father of Wisconsin Lions Camp

15 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by lionspridewi in Holidays, Lions Camp, Special Events

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blind, camp, camping, celebrate, children, dad, development, district governors, experience, fathers day, hospital, lions pride, lives, men, monday, poy sippi, ray hempel, rosholt, special needs, story, summer, wisconsin lions camp

Roll out the barbecue – it’s time to celebrate Dad!

Lion Ray Hempel

Sunday marks the day to honor the men in our lives with a day dedicated just to him. With Father’s Day right around the corner, we thought it would be the perfect excuse to honor an exceptional man in the Wisconsin Lions community – Ray Hempel, the father and originator of Wisconsin Lions Camp.

You may have already heard this story a time or two, but it’s one that we think can always be retold. The year was 1952; Lion Ray Hempel was visiting with two 12-year old boys at an area hospital. He asked them if they had ever attended a camp. One boy replied, “Blind kids can’t go to outdoor camp and stuff like that.”

Others may have just acknowledged the response, apologized and changed the subject, but Lion Ray was not that man. Instead, he took those words to heart and began visualizing a camp that would provide an outdoor experience for those two boys and others like them.

His background in Lions and Boy Scouts, as well as his love of camping told him exactly what he needed to do. He needed to persuade the Wisconsin Lions to start a camp for blind children.

A few years later, Lion Ray and the Poy Sippi Lions petitioned the District Governors for a permanent camp location at the 1955 Wisconsin State Convention. At the 1956 convention, a 240-acre property was purchased in Rosholt, and the Wisconsin Lions Camp was born. Lion Ray served as the first camp director and was proud to be an integral part of its development

Today, the camp has expanded to serve even more children with special needs, including vision and hearing impairments, mild cognitive disabilities and Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, all at no cost to their families.

With the first week of summer camp starting on Monday, we think there’s no better time to reflect on the man who started it all. Who knew a chance comment would lead to such big change. Since its inception Lions Camp has offered the week of a lifetime to nearly 70,000 campers. There’s no question in our minds that Ray Hempel was the epitome of a Wisconsin Lion.

Happy Father’s Day from Lions Pride!

Wisconsin Lions Camp: The Place Where Friends are Made

14 Thursday May 2015

Posted by lionspridewi in Lions Camp, Special Events

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application, availability, business associates, camp director, camping, children, deadline, experiences, family, friends, friendships, lions pride, skills, special needs, summer, teachers, wisconsin lions camp, youth camper

There is not a photo available that sums up the Wisconsin Lions Camp better than Place For Friendships - Lions Campthe image on the right.  It is a place where lifelong friendships are made.

As you may know, Lions Camp provide a week of camp for children with special needs that includes experiences and skills that will serve them today, tomorrow and years to come. All this is provided at no cost to the families.

At Lions Pride, one of the best parts of our job is the opportunity to work with our donors to help preserve, protect and provide so the WLF can continue to provide these experiences for today and for future generations of campers.

Do you know a child that would benefit from Lions Camp? Don’t wait! Here is a letter from the Camp Director that will answer most of your questions.

It is time to get an application in because the youth camper deadline is quickly approaching. All applications must be postmarked by May 27, 2015.

Lions Camp still has space available the following weeks:

Youth with mild/borderline cognitive disabilities* (ages 9-17):
*See the Camp Director letter and Application for specific details

June 28 – July 3
July 26 – 31

Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (ages 6-17):

July 5 – 10
July 12-17

Youth who are Blind or Visually Impaired (ages 6-17):

August 2-7

As many as 70,000 children with disabilities have attended the Wisconsin Lions Camp since its inception in 1964; we’d love to see that number keep increasing.

Help make summer of 2015 one to remember for a child with special needs. Share this blog post with family, friends, teachers and business associates.

Thank you for helping us find more eligible campers!

National Braille Literacy Month

08 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by lionspridewi in News, Special Events

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alphabet, american printing house for the blind, audio books, blindness, braille code, braille literacy crisis, exercise, january, library, lions camp, lions pride, louis braille, national braille literacy month, new year, perkins brailler, readers, rehabilitation act of 1973, resolutions, special needs, success, talking computers, the lord of the rings, typewriter, unemployment rate, visually impaired, wisconsin lions foundation

Part of Lions Camp Braille Library

Part of Lions Camp Braille Library

What is the first thought that comes to mind when you think about the month of January? You probably think about the New Year and resolutions, exercise, and healthy eating, but did you know that January is also is National Braille Literacy Month?

As you already know, Lions Pride is dedicated to preserving, protecting and providing for Lions Camp, which serves both children and adults with special needs, including blindness.

What you might not know is Lions Camp has a fairly large Braille Library for its campers to utilize. Denise Rocha from LPEF spoke with Jamie Jannusch, Lions Camp’s Assistant Camp Director this week. Jamie showed Denise the bookshelves full of Braille books including the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter series. “I was surprised by how big and thick the books were, it looks like it takes several volumes to make up even one book,” said Denise.

When asked who uses the books more, Jamie told Denise the books get much more use during the week we serve adult blind and visually impaired campers in comparison to the weeks we serve children.

In addition to the books, Denise told us she learned Lions Camp also has a Perkins

Perkins Brailler at Lions Camp

Perkins Brailler at Lions Camp

Brailler which is a machine similar to a typewriter, but instead of letters, it punches the Braille alphabet into the paper.

Now that you have learned all that, you can certainly understand why National Braille Literacy Month is near and dear to our hearts.

The Braille code has been around for quite some time. Louis Braille first developed the system at age 15 in 1824. It was introduced to the United States in 1869, but not adopted into the Standard English code until 1932. From that time until the early 1960s, many blind children were taught to read and write using Braille.

Unfortunately, after 1965, the literacy rate drastically declined. According to the American Printing House for the Blind, in 2014, there were 60,393 blind children. Of those students, only 8.5 percent (5,147 students) were Braille readers. The majority of those students were actually categorized as non-readers at 34.8 percent.

Many factors have contributed to the declining Braille literacy rate. The first was the passing of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Thousands of children became enrolled in public schools rather than specialized school for the blind. The problem; however, is the fact that many of those schools cannot afford to hire or train Braille teachers. The second factor is the misconception that audio books and talking computers are a comparable substitute for Braille.

Success in life is dependent on literacy. Did you know that the unemployment rate is especially high for individuals who are blind at 70 percent? A point well worth mentioning; however, is the fact that 90 percent of blind people are Braille readers. Learn more about the Braille Literacy Crisis here in America and don’t be afraid to share the facts.

Thank you for reading this week’s Lions Pride Endowment Fund blog. For more information and fun, follow us on Facebook.

Help us continue to be “Today’s Help, Tomorrow’s Hope” for Wisconsin Lions Camp and all the WLF statewide projects by making a donation today.

Sources:

https://nfb.org/blindness-statistics

http://www1.lvib.org/2012/01/09/january-is-braille-literacy-month-2/

http://blog.ncpad.org/2012/01/20/15-facts-to-share-during-braille-literacy-month/

A Special Holiday Message from Lions Pride Chairperson, Dewey Carl

20 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by lionspridewi in Giving Tips, Holidays

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adults, children, diabetes awareness, endowment fund, eyeglass recycling center, holidays, lion ray hempel, lions camp, lions pride, personal donation, special needs, vision screening

Dear Friend of Lions Pride,

Before the hustle and bustle of the holidays begins to consume us, now is the time to consider our year-end giving plans. I am asking you to consider making your personal donation to the Lions Pride Endowment Fund to help us continue our quest to be ‘today’s help, tomorrow’s hope’ for children and adults with special needs, served by Lions Camp and the other WLF projects.

At this time of year, reflect on the impact you have to improve their lives.  We’ve helped some 100,000 campers since Lions Camp began in 1956.  But Lion & Lioness Club donations alone no longer support the real cost of our mutual effort; private donations are required to preserve, protect and provide for the legacy that began with Lion Ray Hempel’s dream 58 years ago.

There’s no better place to direct your donation than to the Lions Pride Endowment Fund.  You will be giving a gift that keeps on giving for years to come.

Your donation to the Lions Pride Endowment Fund means you’ll be serving people in your local communities who benefit from the services provided through Lions Camp, Children & Adult Vision Screening, Diabetes Awareness and Education and for people across the globe given the gift of improved sight with glasses from the Eyeglass Recycling Center.

Your year-end gift will allow us to continue to reaching, touching and improving lives as we strive to be “today’s help, tomorrow’s hope”.

Sincerely,

Dewey Carl Signature

 

 

Dewey Carl
LPEF Chairman

PS: For more about year-end (and year-round) giving, visit our website at www.lionspride.org.

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