Help kids with facial differences become leaders

We are delighted to report that Camp Trailblazers 2011 was another great success! In all, 86 children attended camp and there were many new first time campers this year too!

Encourgaing children to attend at an early age can be challenging. They are afraid to go away from home, unsure of what to expect, and in many cases they are nervous because they don't know anyone and are scared that people will make fun of them, tease them. To encourage kids to attend Camp for the first time, our Camp Director, Randy Pielsticker created a short DVD which we mailed to all the age appropriate children in our database. He also sent it to the cleft and craniofacail clinics so that they could share it with their patients. You can watch the video online on our website at www.aboutface.ca

Some of the best feedback we recieved really hit home and it demonstrates what a difference camps make to our kids: 

One mom wrote: I can not explain the gratitude that I feel for you Randy, AboutFace and the whole camp team! My daughter had the most amazing time! She can't stop talking about it!

Joanne was a shy, giggly 10 year old who had never been to camp ever before! 2009 was her first year. She had few friends at school by her mom’s account and didn’t seek out new friends on her own. This year she is one of our most seasoned Campers having attended all three years! She presents today as a kind and thoughtful (still giggly) 12 ½ year old girl who told us she comes to Camp Trailblazers to “make new friends” and have FUN!  Her mom tells me she is a much more confident person at school and in her personal life since attending Camp. Moving and going to a new school in the upcoming year may be in the works.  She tells us she looks forward to meeting new friends if and when this happens and thanks Camp Trailblazers for showing her how to meet new people.

Jack is a second time camper.  In 2010 he attended Camp Trailblazers at his mother’s suggestion.  She thought it was a good opportunity for him to meet new people and make new friends.  His mom describes Jack as a “loner” not having many friends at school and rarely going places without a family member.  He struggled at that very first camp with loneliness and anxiety.  He constantly asked “when can I go home” and “I miss my family”.  He interacted with the group only when instructed to do so and often sat out just observing the activities.  WOW…what a surprise when Jack’s mom called me the week after Camp to tell me what a GREAT time he had had there!

This year Jack attended Camp Trailblazers with more relaxed appearance…less anxious.  He actively participated in activities on his own and hearing him giggle with sheer delight as he played tag was truly heart warming.  Jack says he might not be back next year so we should prepare ourselves…he plans to audition for a movie or be accepted into Model School!  Amazing..how far away he is from the anxious boy who didn’t sleep or eat very much only 1 year ago while he had his first experience at Camp.

I will have Randy post some new photos from Camp this year for your enjoyment! Thank you for your support!

Hello!

Thank you again for all your generous support of AboutFace Camp Trailblazers, a place where kids with facial differences can forget about being different and just be kids!

I have a video to share with you but first I will provide you with an up-date:

We raised over $70,000 through our Leap of Faith Event! For those who may not know what Leap of Faith is, it's an exciting event that takes place in July every year. Close to 100 brave individuals collected donations for AboutFace and those that met their fundraising target jumped from a plane! Children with facial differences need courage to master the challenges of everyday life. The Annual Leap of Faith skydiving fundraising event was created to provide people with the opportunity to mirror this daily leap of faith.

From the money raised $10,000 will go towards Camp Trailblazers. (I will need to adjust our target on our fundraising page from $65,000 to $55,000!) The rest will go towards some of our other programs such as Jessie's Blessing, a program that teaches children ages 3 - 8 about differences and how to be supportive and accepting of others. This program is presented at schools and day cares all across North America by volunteers who would like to do something positive in their communities. It's a great employee engagement program for companies.

And now I'll tell you about our new video....

First I will mention that 90% of individuals with facial differences have issues with their teeth because of the way their face has formed, for example, the condition "cleft lip and palate" causes teeth to emerge from the roof of the mouth. In other cases, people acquire a facial difference by being in an accident -- a car accident for example that results in injury to the jaw and teeth. Whether related to a condition that is present from birth or a condition acquired later on in life dental problems are life long and horrendously expensive! Because it is such a problem for so many children and adults with facial differences dentists and the dental industry are big supporters of AboutFace and our members.

MaxFax Imaging Technology Corporation is a new corporate partner for AboutFace (they do high tech 3-D imaging of your mouth and teeth!) and they kindly provided the funds to produce a video that introduces AboutFace. We can show it at conferences and use it to introduce AboutFace to companies who would like to find a good charity for their employee engagement program.

Please take a look at the video and let me know what you think! Feel free to share it with colleagues, friends and families.

It's less than two minutes long but within this brief time it conveys the essence of who AboutFace represents. I hope you will like it!

I have included some photos as well. Please also take a look at the Camp Trailblazers brochure and a letter from Amanda, one of the biggest fans of Camp Trailblazers so you can learn more about the camp.

Thanks again for your interest and support of AboutFace. I would love to hear from you and learn how you found out about AboutFace. Please feel free to send me an e-mail at andrea@aboutface.ca.

With best regards,

Links:

• A face...greater than the sum of all its parts.

• Amanda's Camp Trailblazers Experience (PDF)
  
• Camp Trailblazers Brochure (PDF)