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New volunteer
coordinator works to create connections between
children at the McCarty Center and the community
After years of planning,
construction on Camp ClapHans, a summer camp
project of the J. D. McCarty Center for children
with developmental disabilities, is underway.
Construction began in January when Downey Construction
moved its equipment on location to begin the
site work for the camp.
Camp ClapHans will be the
first camp in Oklahoma to be specifically designed
and built for children with disabilities. Located
on the western shoreline of a small lake on
the McCarty Center's 80-acre campus, Camp ClapHans
will provide a series of one-week camp sessions
for children 8 to 16 years old. Camp activities
will include evening campfires with singing
and storytelling, archery, an adaptive ropes
course, horseback riding, fishing, boating and
arts and crafts.
Camp ClapHans has a scholarship
endowment fund established through the J. D.
McCarty Center Foundation. The fund will help
qualifying families cover all or a portion of
the camp's tuition. This fund is being developed
on an ongoing basis. Donations to this fund
can be made to the J. D. McCarty Center Foundation,
noting the scholarship endowment fund on the
memo line of the check. Contributions can be
sent to: J. D. McCarty Center Foundation, 2002
East Robinson Street, Norman, Oklahoma 73071.
Camp ClapHans is named
in honor of Sammy Jack Claphan, a citizen of
the Cherokee Nation. At six foot six and 285
lbs., Claphan was a mountain of a man from the
Ozark Mountain plateau region of northeastern
Oklahoma. On the football field he was a tough,
fiercely competitive player. He played his high
school football in Stilwell where he was recruited
to play offensive tackle for the University
of Oklahoma Sooners (1974-1978) and later with
the Cleveland Browns and San Diego Chargers.
Off the field, Claphan
was a gentle giant. He truly loved kids, particularly
kids with special needs. When he retired from
professional football, Claphan returned to Oklahoma
where he became a coach and a special education
teacher. Those who knew Claphan thought he had
a gift for working with special needs kids.
Claphan died unexpectedly
in 2001.
Site work for Camp ClapHans
is expected to be completed in mid April with
construction on the facilities beginning June.
It is anticipated that Camp ClapHans will be
open for campers the summer of 2012.
The J. D. McCarty Center
is Oklahoma's center of excellence in the care
and treatment of children with developmental
disabilities from birth to age 21. Founded in
1946, this year marks the hospital's 65th year
of providing the therapy services that help
children with special needs reach their highest
level of independence and functionality.
For more information about
the McCarty Center visit www.jdmc.org
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