Our camp counselors, counselors in training and campers were very excited to pile into a big bus and head out of town in route to Camp Grey Dove for Siblings 2005 a “Safari Adventure” held from August 7th-August 13th at Peaceable Kingdom Retreat in Killeen, TX. Founded by Deborah Sharp almost 15 years ago, Camp Grey Dove serves to address the needs of siblings of children with cancer by providing a time to have fun, laugh and relax as well as offering much-needed support and therapy. Childhood cancer impacts the parents, siblings and extended family of the hundreds of children suffering through transplants, chemotherapy and radiation. Many siblings must “be strong” despite their overwhelming fear, act as “caretaker” to younger siblings despite their youth and “put on a happy face” despite their feelings of guilt, isolation and sadness. Camp Grey Dove gives these children a place to feel safe to talk about their feelings, bond with other children with whom they can relate and swim, play and laugh, temporarily leaving behind the pressures they are facing at home.

Just like any other camp, these kids go horseback riding, fishing, swimming and rock climbing. In addition, Peaceable Kingdom provides the opportunity for campers to test their limits by climbing a 30 foot tower and whizzing down a zip line. Then the campers are whisked off to a red-carpeted premiere of personally made films at the camp’s very own theater designed by Cinemark. Last, but not least, campers indulge in a night-time surprise ice cream social at Peaceable Kingdom’s Putt-Putt golf course. Furthermore, campers are encouraged to express themselves through arts & crafts and communicate their feelings with trained Any Baby Can social workers in small group sessions. Camp Grey Dove for Siblings hosted over 50 campers this year. Along with counselors from Any Baby Can staff and counselors-in-training, the kids took a much-needed break spending time in nature and with each other!

For more information on how you can sponsor a child for next year’s Camp Grey Dove for Siblings call Judah Crossland at Any Baby Can via phone #512-334-4452 or email at judahc@abcaus.org.

For almost 2 years, Christina Sanchez has worked as a case manager/social worker at Any Baby Can, but her interest in social work started long before that. Christina grew up in Washington, where she worked as a volunteer with children and families through high school. She went on to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Spanish at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. She credits a study abroad experience working with child laborers in Ecuador as the stepping stone in helping her decide to become a social worker. It was at this time Christina realized that she likes to listen to people, not only to hear what each individual has to say, but also to hear the different life stories of each person.

Denise Little, Any Baby Can’s Community Outreach/ Parenting Education Coordinator, is a huge asset to our community. She has been a parent instructor since 1990. She returned to her passion full time at ABC in January 2005. Denise has such passion for what she does and works from the bottom of her heart. She is an inspiration. She teaches parenting classes Tuesdays and Thursdays at ABC. The second Saturday of each month she facilitates a class for Child Care providers. Foster parents and parents are also welcome, if they wish to attend.

Sometimes saying goodbye is hard; saying hello can make it a bit easier. Any Baby Can experienced this last month when we had say goodbye to some of our board members; but at the same time, we welcomed some new faces to our board room for the next year. Here’s a quick update on our new board members. Ann Howard is a former member of the CEDEN board who was president at the time of its merger with ABC. With a passion for disadvantaged children and for ABC’s mission, Ann has a lot of energy to devote to ABC. A lawyer by training, she holds both a UT law degree and a MPA (Master of Public Administration) from the LBJ School of Public Affairs, but does not currently practice law. She is a dynamic and energetic individual who will represent ABC well in the community.

Diane Sandlin is a senior executive in the insurance industry. She has been active in the Austin community but would like to take a greater role in an organization she feels passionate about. She is very interested in nonprofits and completed the Management of Nonprofit Organizations Certificate program at UT in 2003. She also has a BA degree from UT.

In one of the most unusual fundraising activities, Nancy Rhodus challenged herself to an important task. She found that she said an unmentionable word out of habit and wanted to break herself of that habit. So, she vowed that every time she said that word, she’d contribute $10 to Any Baby Can. Fortunately for Any Baby Can, it took some time, but last week she presented us with a check for $100 Maybe you can think of a challenge that will benefit both you and Any Baby Can?