Touched By An Angel Ministries
Every summer, flocks of children head to summer camp to ride horses, fish, play,
and enjoy the camaraderie of other campers; but for many children with both
mental and physical handicaps, these opportunities are out of reach. Brian
Aldridge, a State Representative from North Mississippi, was not satisfied that
his younger sister Amanda Claire, who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, would
miss these experiences because she was viewed as “different”. In 1996, with his
five-year-old sister as his inspiration, he started Touched By An Angel
Ministries, a Christian mission camp for disabled children and adults based in
Tupelo, Mississippi.
Because
of this camp, Amanda Claire, now 18, never had to miss out on the wonderful joys
of being a kid at camp. Those who attend TBAAM come from a variety of
backgrounds and circumstances, but their differences are what unite them. The
disabilities of participants fill the spectrum from Autism and ADHD to Spina
Bifida, Cerebral Palsy, and Down Syndrome. Campers at TBAAM are given the
opportunity to experience many of the same activities that any other child would
at a regular camp setting, including getting to interact with and ride horses,
go fishing, make arts and crafts, go on hay rides, and make new friends from
around the Southeast. To date, participants have come from eight different
states including Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky,
South Carolina, and Texas to join in on the fun and make new friends.
TBAAM has
two types of camps available throughout the year. The first type is a weekend
camp held two weekends out of every month that begins on Friday afternoon and
ends Sunday morning. The second type of camp is the week-long summer camp held
in June and July; week-long camps begin on Monday and end on Saturday. The camp
averages approximately seven to eight campers for each weekend camp and as many
as 15 for each week-long summer camp. Each participant is paired up with a
volunteer counselor, often from church mission groups, who works with them as
they participate in the different activities. TBAAM also has medical staff on
hand prepared to handle any medical emergency that may arise.
Staff members want
parents to feel at ease that the child is in a safe and nurturing place, and
they allow parents to stay and observe while the child adjusts to the camp
setting. Parents are always welcome to call and get updates on their camper as
well.
Parents are growing more and more tense about the financial burden of
caring for a disabled child and making sure they experience all the
opportunities available to them. Because many children with disabilities are
already robbed of their childhood due to constant medical treatments,
hospitalization, and even sometimes over-protective parents, TBAAM does not turn
children away due to an inability to pay. For participants needing help with
admission costs, TBAAM works with corporate sponsors to make sure these children
have a chance to attend camp when funding becomes available. More than 97
percent of all contributions to TBAAM go to services for campers.
TBAAM is
always looking for counselors and volunteers as well as donations. Beyond simply
monetary donations, TBAAM also accepts much needed paper products such as paper
plates, paper towels, and toilet paper as well as surgical rubber gloves; these
supplies are essential to the care of the campers.
For more information on
Touched By An Angel Ministries or how you can help, please contact David
Hatfield, Director of Missions/Assistant Camp Director, at 662-231-4187 or by
email at HAT12Z@yahoo.com. More information can also be found at www.tbaam.org