CAMP JAKE :: The camp groove

Gregory, Marilene, Jonas, Taylor and Genie

There is one activity that bonds every camper and counselor at Camp Jake, regardless of age, gender, nationality or ability; it transcends the language and socio-economic barriers that separate us. 

That, our dear friends, you may have guessed is MUSIC. 

The following was written in the midst of an impromptu jam session on the first day of Camp Jake / July 2012. The majority of campers and counselors had never met before that day. What happened following our first meal together was simply magical.

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We wish you all could hear what we are hearing right now. Forty seven campers arrived today and we have been going non-stop ever since. After sharing our first dinner together as a group of 61, Casey brought out his guitar, Andrew magically produced the percussion instruments, and it has been a non-stop jam session in the middle of the dining hall ever since. 

It is amazing how complete strangers can connect so quickly and intimately through the common language of music. The sounds we are hearing are mesmerizing, pulsing rhythms that engage each of us to our core. We can't help but move to the driving beat of the cajon, a box-style drum of Latin descent, emotionally played by Andrew. Layers of sound are added with Casey's energetic guitar strumming and Caroline's vocals. 

Andy playing the cajon

Casey and Andrew began with a basic chord progression and beat to which the kids started adding their own words and melody, singing chanting and clapping along in the pitch dark. Not only did it sound amazing, but it looked phenomenal with the flashes of lightening from the impending storm streaking across the sky behind them.

The deaf and blind have joined in with percussion, moving to the rhythms defined by the counselors. Triangles, tambourines, shakers and claves add depth to the sound, making it even more infectious. Even the most shy campers have picked up an instrument to become a part of this living, breathing sound. Not a soul is silent! 

Mackenson and Frenel

Other guests at Kaliko have joined in, singing, dancing and clapping, moving to the funky groove the campers and counselors have created. Even the staff has gathered to watch and swallow the sounds. Some of the counselors are dancing too. A new drummer takes Andy's place on the cajon. It is a never-ending song.

This music is ALIVE, defining the connection we feel to one another - that silken red thread of destiny.

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When the song stopped, we retired to the Salle Koray to continue our exploration of music. Caroline led the group in American praise and South African freedom songs, following which campers shared some of their favorite songs with us and we engaged in our first of many cultural exchanges for the week. Everyone took a turn chanting someone else's name; that person would then dance into the middle of the circle before selecting someone new. We couldn't have asked for a better ice breaker!

At the end of the evening, when everyone's vocal chords were spent and hands tired from drumming, we retired to our rooms. With a broad smile on his face, Casey shared that as he led his blind campers to their room, they hummed the tunes all the way. 

What a grand way to start the week.

The whole gang finds their groove

CAMP JAKE :: Swimming!

Amanda holding Auguste

Entire posts could be dedicated to the
kid's new-found love of swimming.
But we think it would be more interesting
to show in pictures. Enjoy!

Andy swimming with Elisme and Markenson, 2 blind campers

A typical site at Kaliko this week

Moise—our basketball player extraordinaire—and counselor, Casey!

For non-ambulatory, non-swimming campers, it takes a lot of trust
to allow a stranger to take you in the pool or ocean. As you can see,
Moise has taken to Casey and really enjoys the water.

Jake and Christina, spreading her water wings

Kelly and Lovely, a deaf student who is indeed lovely in our eyes

Laura and Danika making quite a splash

Ana Maria and Miele, our resident beauty queen

Teaching Miele to float - looks like she may have fallen asleep!

Sonya holding Yolen, a beautiful girl with severe scoliosis 

Makenson, a sighted camper helps two blind teens, 
Louvens & Jerry, safely down the pool steps 

CAMP JAKE :: Lessons Learned, part 3

One of our non-furry friends

We observed an abundance of lizards in various shapes and sizes hang out along the coast. From 1" - 12" long, these adorable creatures crawl on the rocks, sidewalks, plants and walls. They call to each other at night with a most peculiar sound and scurry around in the bathrooms.


But the funniest thing was finding out that they like to poop on the counters in the bathroom. Yes, you read that correctly... Following which their friends, the ants, carry the poop onto toothbrushes and other bathroom items for unknown reasons. 

The present left by the lizard and ants

To make matters even worse, one of the counselors was looking through Kaliko's printed materials and ran across this! 

The text reads: Please do not be afraid. These little animals eat mosquitoes
and run away at your presence. Unfortunately, it does happen that they
leave trace of their route through the bathroom like in the sink or on the counter.
Please excuse their behavior and be understanding of their natural needs.

The warning came a day to late for Tom. We bid Tom's toothbrush farewell and gave it a proper burial.

CAMP JAKE :: First day of camp!

Tom helping Miele from the van

Auguste exiting the van in the motorized lift!

Fresh off the bus for Camp Jake

Jimmy carrying his most prized possession: his accordian!

What better way to begin the day than watching the kids pull up to the entrance of Kaliko in the WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE VAN we helped secure for St. Vincent's! The bus finally made it through customs and into the hands of St. Vincent's a few short weeks ago. 


We couldn't have done so without the Rhode Island Conference United Church of Christ Haiti Task Force, Physicians for Peace, St. James Episcopal (Eureka, AR), Episcopal Diocese of RI and all of the Red Thread supporters -- to them we tip our hats and say thank you again. Actually seeing the fruit of our labor in use after months of waiting was fantastic! Just another example of the red thread of destiny connecting us all for the good of others. 


Greeting the van and following bus was our own Camp Jake band, complete with guitar, vocals and percussion. Campers enjoyed the music as they were lowered from the van on the lift and hugged by new and returning counselors. New campers were a bit shy, but the returning ones were exuberant! Their smiles were infectious, their hugs and kisses much anticipated.

Orientation fun

Tom, JoJo and Gregory having too much fun during orientation

The junior counselors all had the same impression of the campers, one that The Red Thread has had for a long time: what an amazing group of kids! They were very touched by the way the campers helped one another. A sighted camper would go to the entrance of the bus to receive a blind friend's hand and guide them to the reception area. A blind camper pushed his wheelchair-bound friend up the ramp to wait with the others. To this day, observing this kindness first-hand amazes us and sets a fine example of how humans should treat one another, regardless of ability.


Following a brown bag lunch, name tags were passed out and room assignments were given. Counselors helped campers retrieve their luggage and find their rooms to settle in and rest after the long, sweaty drive from Port-au-Prince.

Blind campers in the pool

Then the fun really began. We met at the pool mid afternoon and, after reviewing all of the safety rules, it was open for business. Unlike the first camp, where swimming was a new experience and campers needed a lot of encouragement to get in the water, returning campers flocked to the pool. Even the most shy asked to go in. With ample counselors, everyone who wanted to go in, did. Anyone in a wheelchair was lifted out and had their own personal lifeguard. They floated, splashed, dunked, danced, laughed and played. 

Jake doing an assessment (foreground)

Jake, the physical therapist from Physicians For Peace, moved from camper to camper -- focusing primarily on the non-ambulatory ones -- to give an initial assessment of their condition. By doing this in the water, it lessened any anxiety that the kids might experience. He accessed the overall tone and spacicity (amount of rigidity compared to passive motion) of the campers arms and legs. Jake also tried to move their limbs in certain directions to release tension and to see if they have full range of motion. In layman's terms, he was determining how each person was wired for motion. 


Jake then showed Sonya, one of the counselors, how to do weight bearing and stretching exercises with Auguste, one of the wheelchair-bound children whose movement is very limited. When Auguste floated, he didn't respond as well - his legs contracted up to his chest as they often do while sitting in his wheelchair, But when we raised him to his feet in a somewhat standing position, he slowly extended his legs and began to bear weight on one or the other. 


In short, Auguste STOOD in the water, something we had never seen him do! (Sadly, we have no photos since Sonya is the photographer!)


This sparked quite the commotion among observing campers, particularly a group of deaf girls working with Laura. His standing caught their attention and they poked at one another to gain attention. The looks on their faces was pure astonishment. They quickly signed 3 phrases repeatedly:

• "No way"! 
• "That can't be happening!"
• "Do you see that?" 

Laura responded "Yes, he's standing on one leg and then the other. We hope by the end of the week he can stand on both". To which they replied "that is REALLY cool". 


Little did they know that, by the end of our time in the pool, Auguste was already putting weight on both legs! We asked Jake his thoughts on this and he was thrilled with what he observed, stating that Auguste showed lots of potential. We will continue working with him throughout the week, pursuing weight bearing exercises and limb extensions for longer periods of time to improve potential bone and muscle growth. We will also begin training both counselors and caregivers with these exercises so this basic physical therapy can be continued far beyond Jake's time with the kids.

Andy with 2 of our blind campers, Elisme and Markenson

Following pool time, campers returned to their rooms to change and relax before dinner. 


Dinner is another story that we'd like to share. But it is late, we are exhausted and there is time for that story tomorrow. Sleep well, dear readers, and we will talk to you again in the morning.

CAMP JAKE :: Lessons Learned, part 2

It is very time-consuming, expensive and extremely frustrating to go back to Port-au-Prince in search of ONE missing suitcase full of supplies, including half of the backpacks for the kids! Two of the counselors spent 6 hours driving to and from the airport, searching through hundreds of bags in a small, un-airconditioned space and "dealing" with the airport authorities to take possession of the bag. A big thanks to Gregory and Jonas for their perseverance on behalf of Camp Jake!

Our Haitian heroes: Gregory (left) and Jonas (right)

CAMP JAKE :: Lessons learned, part 1

We discovered how beautifully blue and green acrylic paint mix on suitcase fabric after the lids came loose during our travels! Several counselors, including our fearless leader Tom, did their best to clean up and conserve the paint for the wonderful activities in store for the campers. We even made a fashion statement with this messy situation - Ana's shorts are now a new shade of green for the trip home!

Tom scrubbing!

CAMP JAKE :: The Final Countdown

The whole herd

In less than 10 hours, we will be greeting the children from St. Vincent's Center for Handicapped Children at Kaliko Beach Club! In preparation to receive them, today was filled with sorting / planning / rule review / pool safety / walkie talkie training / organizing and resting up for the whirlwind of activity to follow. 

Salle Koray, aka Camp Jake Command Central

It was amazing to see how much work was accomplished this morning after a good night's sleep, a few eggs, fresh watermelon and passionfruit juices and a whole lot of coffee! The team turned the Salle Koray (the enclosed common area that our team is taking over for the next 8 days) into Camp Jake Command Central.

Jonas & Gregory sorting supplies

DeeDee categorizing snacks

All 40+ suitcases were opened, contents emptied, and sorted. Suitcases were re-packed by theme: sports, aquatics, board games, art supplies, snacks, hygiene packages, relaxation / spa, manicure supplies, etc so each can be wheeled to the location of the activity with ease.

DeeDee and Caroline as part of the backpack assembly line

Laura filling backpacks with personal care kits

Just a few of the backpacks!

Individual backpacks were filled with items for the campers including: a bright orange Camp Jake shirt, Tulane Athletic Department t-shirts and hats, personal care kits, a variety of healthy snacks and various school supplies and fun items. All of the new campers will be receiving a pair of shoes as well, like those who attended the January session.


In addition, camper / counselor room assignments were given; activities of all kinds were organized; name tags were hand-made by our resident artist; a tour of the facility was made by the group; a spot was selected for ocean swimming; art supplies were laid out to begin the 3D mask making process tomorrow; strategies were discussed for getting to know the campers on the first day; and finally we were encouraged to use our down time wisely during the week. We're ALL going to need it!


And it rained. Oh did it rain. It was pouring so hard you could hardly hear one another speak. Like last night, with the rain came much cooler temperatures which were welcomed by all.


The team is trying to get to bed earlier tonight so we are ready for the kids tomorrow. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they make the bus ride to the campsite early in the morning. ETA: 9:00am!!!