Camp Marcella
Encyclopedia
Camp Marcella is a facility designed and owned by the New Jersey Camp for Blind Children (NJCBC) incorporated, a non-profit organization
started in 1947. For eight weeks during the summer, Camp Marcella offers free one or two week camping sessions for visually impaired
children and teens ages 5 through 16. Two of these sessions are for blind and visually impaired children between the ages of 7 and 21 with multiple challenges.
Since 1947 Camp Marcella has enjoyed the support and partnership of the New Jersey Lions Clubs who have donated the funds and the muscle power to maintain the beautiful facility. In the fall of 2008 Camp Marcella broke with the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired after the 50-years contact ended. The camp then contracted with Easter Seals
of New Jersey as a source of funding. In 2009 Easter Seals extended the Camp season and in addition to sessions for children and teens with blindness, visual impairments and multiple challenges, Easter Seals will bring other special needs children and adults allowing Camp Marcella to serve an even greater population.
residents of the state of New Jersey
. This is because the summer program was funded by the State. In 2009 New Jersey officials elected to discontinue support for the summer program and the camp now seeks private donations to help families defray the cost of a one or two week stay at camp.
Perhaps the greatest single aspect of attending Camp Marcella, is the long term camaraderie built between campers. Most of our campers are mainstreamed into regular classrooms throughout the state, and are most likely the only one with a visual impairment in their school. Camp Marcella provides the opportunity to meet and network with many peers facing similar challenges. Friendships are kindled at camp, glow throughout the year and reignite each summer! Many of these friendships will continue to thrive years after campers have moved on, and many campers will return as staff to work at Camp Marcella and provide that same memorable experience they were afforded!
As of Camping Season 2005, all camper cabins have been refurbished. Insulation and exhaust fans have been installed to make cabins more comfortable. Walls and ceilings have been sheeted with finished grade plywood to provide a safer environment for campers, and floors have been resurfaced to create an even texture, eliminating any foreseeable hazards. State of the art
smoke and fire detectors, with emergency lighting
, have been installed in each cabin and are wired into a central system which will report any activity directly to the nearby Rockaway Fire Department. Bathrooms have been upgraded and all cabins were recently repainted.
The interior of our cabins is bright and spacious. Each camper sleeping area has two beds and lockers for storing clothing and other personal items.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
started in 1947. For eight weeks during the summer, Camp Marcella offers free one or two week camping sessions for visually impaired
Visual impairment
Visual impairment is vision loss to such a degree as to qualify as an additional support need through a significant limitation of visual capability resulting from either disease, trauma, or congenital or degenerative conditions that cannot be corrected by conventional means, such as refractive...
children and teens ages 5 through 16. Two of these sessions are for blind and visually impaired children between the ages of 7 and 21 with multiple challenges.
History
The NJ Camp for Blind Children, commonly known as Camp Marcella, started in 1947. A more or less casual type of camp facility existed, but to many parents it lacked the many advantages of a complete camping experience. So, NJCFBC Inc. recruited the right people for the right job. With the physical work and contributions of over 13 organizations and individuals, Camp Marcella opened its gates that very summer, and has been going strong ever since! Today Camp Marcella comprises over 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of mostly woodland surroundings and a clear fish laden lake, with all of its facilities designed for the best possible care of children with blindness, visual impairments and special needs.Since 1947 Camp Marcella has enjoyed the support and partnership of the New Jersey Lions Clubs who have donated the funds and the muscle power to maintain the beautiful facility. In the fall of 2008 Camp Marcella broke with the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired after the 50-years contact ended. The camp then contracted with Easter Seals
Easter Seals
Easter Seals is an international charitable organization devoted to providing opportunities for children with physical disabilities. See*Easter Seals *Easter Seals *Easter Seals...
of New Jersey as a source of funding. In 2009 Easter Seals extended the Camp season and in addition to sessions for children and teens with blindness, visual impairments and multiple challenges, Easter Seals will bring other special needs children and adults allowing Camp Marcella to serve an even greater population.
2009 Camping season
During the 2009 camping season, the camp cut the summer down to a single session for visually impaired campers ages 5–17 which consisted of only 19 campers. In previous years, 3 separate sessions would take place over the summer for a total of 200 or so campers. The single visually impaired session was cut down to a single week, whereas in previous years the sessions for blind children would be two weeks. The director for the session was Phil Cocilovo, a Camp Marcella director from the 90's.Campers
From its beginnings through 2008 Camp Marcella was completely free to blind and visually impaired children and teens ages 5 through 16 and special needs campers ages 5 to 21 who were legally blindBlindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
residents of the state of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. This is because the summer program was funded by the State. In 2009 New Jersey officials elected to discontinue support for the summer program and the camp now seeks private donations to help families defray the cost of a one or two week stay at camp.
Guiding principle
The guiding principle of the NJCBC andour partners like the NJ Lions clubs is that blind and visually impaired campers should have the same experiences at camp that fully sighted campers enjoy. It is the proud boast of Camp Marcella that our program serves virtually every need of the camper. Our carefully designed and maintained facilities provide a safe worry free environment, yet this is only the beginningPerhaps the greatest single aspect of attending Camp Marcella, is the long term camaraderie built between campers. Most of our campers are mainstreamed into regular classrooms throughout the state, and are most likely the only one with a visual impairment in their school. Camp Marcella provides the opportunity to meet and network with many peers facing similar challenges. Friendships are kindled at camp, glow throughout the year and reignite each summer! Many of these friendships will continue to thrive years after campers have moved on, and many campers will return as staff to work at Camp Marcella and provide that same memorable experience they were afforded!
Overview
State of the art
The state of the art is the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time. It also refers to the level of development reached at any particular time as a result of the latest methodologies employed.- Origin :The earliest use of the term...
smoke and fire detectors, with emergency lighting
Emergency power system
Emergency power systems are a type of system, which may include lighting, generators, fuel cells and other apparatus, to provide backup power resources in a crisis or when regular systems fail. They find uses in a wide variety of settings from residential homes to hospitals, scientific...
, have been installed in each cabin and are wired into a central system which will report any activity directly to the nearby Rockaway Fire Department. Bathrooms have been upgraded and all cabins were recently repainted.
The interior of our cabins is bright and spacious. Each camper sleeping area has two beds and lockers for storing clothing and other personal items.
Boys or girls cabins
- Chipmunk (depending on the session and amount of male and female campers in that session. NEVER CO-ED)
Program areas
- Boating
- Swimming
- Nature
- Arts and CraftsArts and craftsArts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one's hands and skill. These can be sub-divided into handicrafts or "traditional crafts" and "the rest"...
- Phys. EdPhysical educationPhysical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
- Music
- Library
- Life Skills