Monday, September 12, 2011
OMCA Golf Tournament

	Summer day campers Chelle Seal (left) and Tyler Santiago, both of Noble, race to the soccer ball as they play giant soccer at the Movin' & Groovin' summer day camp at the J. D. McCarty Center in Norman. Giant soccer was just one of many sports and games the campers participated in during the week long camp.
	Summer day camp director and physical therapist Jennifer Woodruff shows James "Bo" Cochran, of Norman, how to set up his bow and arrow during an archery session at the J. D. McCarty Center's Movin' & Groovin' summer day camp. Archery was just one of several activities the campers participated in during the week long camp.
	Camper Mark McBride enjoys his ride on American Quarter Horse King Glo Jessie as one of the many activities of the Movin' & Groovin' summer day camp at the J. D. McCarty Center for children with developmental disabilities in Norman. Leading "Jessie" around the pasture is summer day camp volunteer Ashley Birchfield. Acting as one of the side walkers is Jennifer Woodruff, physical therapist and camp director.

"One consistent comment that we got from the parents was that they couldn't believe we did all the activities we did," Woodruff reflected. "They just didn't expect it to be so busy."

"A full schedule that easily transitions from one activity to the next is important in keeping the campers attentive and excited," stated Woodruff. "One of the key ingredients for doing that is having a good volunteer staff. We had five wonderful volunteers to help us with the camp," said Woodruff, "they were an important part of making this camp a success for the campers."

The volunteers for the Movin' & Groovin Camp were Paige Hoster, an OU sophomore from Shawnee is a premed major; Ashley Birchfield, an OU senior from Edmond majoring in micro biology; Amanda Titus, an OU senior from Sand Springs majoring in zoology; Kristen Ogan, an OU junior majoring in health and exercise science; and Paige Sandefer, a junior at Norman North High School.

According to Woodruff, the highlight of the week for the campers was horseback riding. Three registered quarter horses, owned by Greg & Jane Gaston, were brought to the hospital from the Diamond J Ranch in Purcell. Greg Gaston is marketing director for the McCarty Center.

"The horses really bring out a lot in the kids," said Woodruff. "For example," she explained, "we had one camper who has gravitational insecurity. Simply described, this means that he feels secure when his feet are on the ground and fearful when they are not.

This potentially makes it difficult for individuals with this issue to swing, or climb a ladder to a slide, or climb stairs. In this case, the camper was so interested in riding a horse that he forgot about his insecurity, climbed two steps on a mounting block, put his foot in the stirrup and swung his leg over the saddle. In addition, this camper doesn't show much, if any, facial expression. Once the horse started to walk off, he got a smile on his face from ear to ear."

"In another case," said Woodruff, "we had a camper who had been with us last year and wouldn't have anything to do with the horses. This year started out to be a repeat of last year, but gradually this camper decided he wanted to go look at the horses close up. When he did that, he thought he might try sitting on the horse. Once mounted he thought he'd try a couple of steps on the horse. Once that horse began to walk off the camper was hooked. He enjoyed it so much that he rode twice."

"It's the small steps like these, that have a huge impact on campers lives that make the summer camp experience so good for these kids. It's exciting to watch them happen," concluded Woodruff.

The McCarty Center has three more summer day camp sessions planned for this summer. The next one is the Sensory Integration camp, Monday, June 19 to Friday, June 23. For information about this camp contact Maria Greenfield at 307.2867. Following the Sensory Integration camp will be the Social Skills camp, Monday, July 10 to Friday, July 14.
For information about this camp contact Reni Hanley at 307. 2870.

The next day camp sessions will be computer camps. These sessions will run Monday, July 24 to Thursday, July 27, and Monday, July 31 to Thursday, August 3. For more information about Computer Camp contact Joel Mann at 307.2829.
Volunteers are still needed for the remaining summer day camp sessions. Volunteers need to be 16 years old or older. Volunteers help to set up for camp each day and assist the campers with their activities. Volunteers also help the camp counselors organize the activities for the day and clean up after each activity and at the end of day. "We're looking for volunteers who are enthusiastic and interested in working with children with developmental disabilities," said Woodruff. "Volunteers will get free lunch, a free t-shirt and free fun for their efforts," Woodruff added. Interested volunteers should contact Patti Castle at 307.2815.

The J. D. McCarty Center is Oklahoma's center of excellence in the care and treatment of children with developmental disabilities from birth to 21. Established in 1946, the hospital treated just one thing…cerebral palsy. Today, the McCarty Center has treated more than 70 different diagnoses in the developmental disabilities category. In an average year, the McCarty Center will treat children from 70 of Oklahoma's 77 counties.

For more information about the J. D. McCarty Center visit our web site at www.jdmc.org.