Danika Kmetz, a great PR intern from Illinois State University (and President of her PRSSA chapter), has created two very fun videos with the best kind of testimonials possible. The first is from Hope, a camper at ASCCA’s Teen Week taking place this week on Lake Martin. The second is a mashup of clips from last week’s Adult Mentally Disabled camp.

There are many ideas at work behind these sites. The most important is to provide a look inside camp that will reach out to our campers, their parents and anyone that has yet to consider a therapeutic recreation opportunity.

You might be surprised that engaging people in comments and conversations isn’t as important here. Our clientele isn’t as ‘into’ the social media scene as those that read my blog, for instance. But, with the launch of our social network, ASCCA Friends, we’ve begun to see interaction that never took place in our blogs. ASCCA Friends is built upon the Ning platform.

Now, we are seeing parents and campers engaging in conversations. Just today, for instance, this comment was left by the mother of a camper:

Even though I don’t get to stay at camp with you guys, it’s my favorite place to visit. The 3 and 1/2 hour drive is totally worth it just to be greeted by all of the smiling faces of the staff and campers. Camp ASCCA must be the happiest place on earth. – Denise Brock, Fort Payne, AL

And then there is this one from today, by parent Terri Shaw:

My child is attending Camp ASCCA for the first time this week , July 14th thru July 18th. I have encouraged the camp because he needs time away from parents to make new friendships and to see other children with disabilities.

Now, I ask you. Can you beat this for engaging with your stakeholders?

You may notice, we do not take the ‘poor pitiful crippled child’ approach that so many nonprofits choose to follow. We have fun. We try to show you the reality of working with these children and adults. Again, we have fun. This is real life, folks.

I dare to say, the overall presentation on the sites is something that has not been done before, regarding people with disabilities. If you can show me some site that has done it, please point me to it. The only other ‘real life’ approach I know of is the BBC’s Ouch! Podcast. And, we were online before them. Realistically, in our environment, we couldn’t get away with their ‘very real’ approach, either.

Hey, if these two videos don’t make you smile … I fear there’s no hope for ya’.

Hope is one excited camper

Find more videos like this on ASCCA Friends

Why We Love Camp ASCCA!

Find more videos like this on ASCCA Friends

Allison was recently interviewed by Fred Hunter, Fox6 News in Birmingham, for their Absolutely Alabama series.

Allison shares how camp helped her over the years, trying anything new that she had her heart set upon doing. Since being a camper, Allison has gone on to earn a masters degree in counseling and served for almost 13 years in practice, before returning to Camp ASCCA.

I have to admit, I got a little tear thinking about Allison as a camper and now – the ASCCA PR director. It is a sweet story. She is the spokesperson for camp, and does a terrific job.

Watch the video now. (Click image below for a popup.) I have to say, Fred and the videographer/editor do terrific work. A great video. Thank you Fox6!

Now do you understand why I can’t help but talk about Camp ASCCA?

This video should help answer that question. Meet a guy that has a kind heart and long list of true friends. He makes you smile just seeing him.

Abner is one of our favorites at Camp ASCCA.

This week is a special one for camp. Throughout the year, we serve a lot of adults with mental disabilities. During the summer, there is one week where many of our regulars attend. Abner is a 10 year regular. This is his 10th Anniversary for attending Camp ASCCA.

All you have to do is watch the video and you’ll understand why so many said, “You’ve got to interview Abner!” His relationship with Nathan, our Head Male Counselor, will make you smile, too.

A little background. Abner is from Bainbridge, GA. He lives independently. Abner is likely as much of a favorite in Bainbridge as he is at Camp ASCCA. A playful and friendly guy, you’ll see that Abner has a kind heart. One comment touched me, in particular.

When I asked Abner what he liked about camp, he said he’d stay here 24/7. He then shares (I paraphrase), “But, you can’t do that. You have to let others have a chance to come here, too.” This is a guy that is remembered by everyone that meets him.

I’m so glad to be able to introduce you to Abner now. The “piggy-back ride” comment at the end is priceless.

Camp ASCCA has a new site! ASCCA Friends. It is our own personal social media network.
Looking for photos? Visit Camp ASCCA’s collection on Flickr! 15,000+ photos and growing every day!
How about Facebook? Did you know that Camp ASCCA is in Facebook? If you are too, please go on over and “Friend” Camp ASCCA and join the Camp ASCCA Facebook group, too.

Jeremy joined in a panel with Amy Tenderich, from Diabetes Mine.

From his post, these three paragraphs – in particular – struck a cord.

When explaining social media, I use a Town Hall analogy. From a conversation with a friend, she wrote it out like this: Imagine a small New England town with a highly civically-active community. On a regular basis this tightly-knit community hosts Town Hall meetings to discuss current events, areas of concern, etc. Now imagine someone wholly unconnected to community coming in, raising a topic of concern and just leaving. Town Hall meeting members have every reason to be annoyed, incensed and even hostile.

Now take that Town Hall scenario, multiply it exponentially, and stick it online – where anyone and everyone can see it. The quaint little Town Hall is now a blog. And the outside, rude intruders are PR people – those that neither seem to care or understand the community, but are just following orders to get “ink” no matter what.

For healthcare, take that Town Hall scenario, and put it in the hospital ward. With some health blogs, you are either talking to the patient, or the patient’s relative.

In our work with Camp ASCCA, the patient is the camper and the patient’s relatives expands out to the entire family and that unique “family” one gains like physical therapists, doctors, nurses and many others while dealing with issues brought on by your disability. That family even involves donors and volunteers that make trips to Camp ASCCA possible for thousands each year. And, it even involves that area formerly known as B2B when dealing with vendors. Yes, we even address them in our social media strategy.

You just can’t talk with these audiences using a blast email or shotgun press release approach. After all, that’s talking “to” someone, isn’t it?

It is these communities of nonprofit and healthcare “family members” that may well match the blogosphere’s community aspects more than any other. They don’t want advertising. They don’t want to be pitched. What they want is to be a part of something and truly feel that they are making a difference.

I also see this as similar to what we encounter in fundraising. First rule: don’t be afraid to ask. What can they say? No? Well, it isn’t like I’ve never heard that before. But, you have to ask in the right way. And, there must be a relationship before you can ask. Well, if you want to have any hope of being successful.

On another front, Jeremy’s partner in the panel – Amy Tenderich – might be interested in something we’re going to start this coming week with the Southeaster Diabetes Education Services. They are going to begin blogging and video podcasting much the same way students have been doing it at Camp ASCCA’s Journal.

Both examples use blogs for stakeholder outreach – like the campers, counselors and parents of people with disabilities. For ASCCA, as an Easter Seals facility, we work with anyone and everyone to achieve the goal of providing services to people with disabilities. Examples of those services may be found in these posts

• Four-Wheeling :: It is a Realistic Recreation Activity for Spinal Cord Injury Patients and Campers
• USA’s Carmen Hughey :: Experiential Learning about Therapeutic Recreation at Camp ASCCA
• ASCCA’s Campus Is Both Therapeutic and Educational This Weekend
• Christine Geever Ziplines and Spreads Smiles during the 2007 Shepherd Spring Weekend

The best part about all of those posts is that they were created by students gaining experience and they involve multiple organizations and universities all doing one thing – making life a little bit better, and a little bit more fun, for people with disabilities.

The video below is one example. It comes from our intern, Cathy Cochran, from Sewanee. She’s doing some great work at Camp ASCCA. Cathy is only a sophomore. She has very little experience with video and production. Yet, look at what she’s done in only her first week.

I think this could be a really great summer for social media and Camp ASCCA.

We all have memories from our college days. This trip is one of my favorite memories. Taking a busload of kids and adults to Disney World is unbelievable fun.

I went up to ASCCA the night before the trip and again the next morning for their departure. We have about five video interviews that I’ll post over at the the Camp ASCCA Journal in the coming days with those on the trip.

Barclay Bentley is also on the trip and he will be bringing back videos from their adventures. So, be on the lookout for those coming soon.

I know, if you’re like me, you wish you could have been on the trip. It is always fun.

We’re trying to create a simpler, cleaner navigation layout that helps you find what you’re looking for on the site.

Check out the new look.

What we want to provide is a simple way for anyone to quickly update the front page with the latest information. The new tools we’re using – widgets – should allow this to work. And, the people adding the information don’t have to know much / any HTML coding to add the information to the page.

The ASCCA site is now a collection of WordPress blog installments. This allows the staff to use the rather simple (to use, at least) software to update the site. And widgets allow them to place new information ‘almost’ anywhere they want it in the blog’s template.

The Oscar Dunn Environmental Center now has their own site, separate from the ASCCA site. This was done to differentiate the Dunn Center from ASCCA as we continue to bring in non-disabled groups to use that facility. Now the Dunn Center staff can put up their own videos and audio. We haven’t yet fully shown all the center has to offer. This new site will help them illustrate the beauty and diverse offerings in ASCCA’s new multi-million dollar facility.

It really is quite amazing. People are always stunned when they first drive into ASCCA. Then, to see this amazing wildlife, nature and conference facility right on the Lake Martin shoreline .. well, it gets their attention. God bless Rotary International. They made the Dunn Center a reality.

Give us your feed back. Check out the new front page and critique away. Thanks.

So, I was lucky to get this video of two baby deer yesterday at Camp ASCCA.

The deer are just two of the many that have been wandering through Camp ASCCA’s grounds over the past few months. I think there may be a greater explosion of the deer population than I’ve seen before.

This is the third weekend where I’ve seen deer flying through the camp’s grounds. These two are especially cute. One has an injured leg and the hope is he/she will continue to stay within Camp ASCCA’s grounds as deer season is about to open.

Check out the video. They are cute.

Alexis attended Easter Seals Camp ASCCA last week. You can also view a video of Alexis and her counselor Christy.

This is just a truly precious young lady.

Katie and Danielle have been sharing profiles of campers and counselors in their summer social media internship at Easter Seals Camp ASCCA. All of them, about eight posts a day, appear in the Camp ASCCA Journal, ASCCA’s blog.

I’ll be honest, I keep hoping to see PR people visiting and commenting – or writing about it in their own blogs. I’ve tried to refrain from blatant pitches via email and only highlighting the effort by writing about it here in my blog.

…social media internship reaching out to parents and campers to spread the word about Camp ASCCA…

I hope you’ll check out the Camp ASCCA Journal and write about it. A few kind people have gone there and/or commented or written about it. Thanks Kami and Karen. But, alas, few others have gone there – or seen value in it to write about it. This makes me sad. I know of no other similar experiment with social media – anywhere. If you can show me one, please do. The students are trying and would really appreciate some interest and feedback from the PR blogging community.

I hope my fellow PR bloggers will go and check out the site. Critiques and criticism are welcome, actually. We want to get it right and improve. Also, the interns will likely take input from outside and put it into action. Hope you’ll visit the Camp ASCCA Journal and give it your consideration for a post in your blog. Thanks.

Seriously, they are doing something unique in nonprofit social media. Check out the July 2nd string of ASCCA posts for audio, video and more. It was the first check-in day for a physically disabled camp at ASCCA captured online.

What’s so good about them? Well, they have captured the feelings of parents and family members and what they go through on a check-in day. It is that angst of leaving their children at camp. This is probably more angst ridden than what most parents experience due to the unique character of the population we serve – disabled children and adults.

Feel free to post your critiques, too. Hey, as good as the posts are, I noticed a few nicks here and there that we can improve upon. We’d like some feedback from outside the camp family. Still, the work they are doing is admirable and I’m thankful for what they are doing.

So, do us a favor, please. Go visit Katie and Danielle’s summer internship work online. Thanks.

From audio interviews to video excerpts from camp activities, Katie and Danielle have been posting to the site consistently for over 3 weeks, now. There are currently 21 podcasts, audio excerpts, on the site and 17 videos. As the camp picks up steam (with five full weeks of physically disabled summer camps to go) you can expect a lot more to appear in the Camp ASCCA Journal. Dont’ forget, the camp is open year-round and campers keep coming each and every month.

Katie (below) and Danielle (above) are doing their internship and gaining experience in creating multimedia content, writing and much more. An extra bonus of the internships, aside from the fun of being at camp, is that they are paid internships. Housing and meals are also provided.

Just go read their posts, listen to their podcasts and and view their videos and posts. I believe you’ll come away with the belief that they are particularly enjoying being with the counselors and campers very much. It is often the result that a work experience at Camp ASCCA can change your life. It may well send them off in new directions with a new outlook on life, let alone work or PR.

Please go visit Danielle and Katie’s work – and comment on a post or two. You’ll have fun and also make their day, too.