#pals programs

[palsprograms]

Wow, what an incredible week we had at Cabrini College for Camp PALS Philadelphia. There were incredible trips to the beach, Dave & Busters and the Franklin Institute, not to mention endless dance parties and fun activities!

For more, check out the Facebook and Youtube and don't forget to keep an eye out for Camp PALS Georgetown photos and videos this week!

[palsprograms]

Guest Blogging From Soeren and Timbo- PALS Board Members and Spread the Word to End the Word Co-Founders

 "Timbo and I started Spread the Word to End the Word six years ago with what we thought was a crazy idea: that, somewhere, there were young people and self-advocates with ability and desire to lead a movement changing the way society views intellectual disability. We thought that, maybe, we could find enough young people and self-advocates willing to stand against the mistreatment of their classmates and friends with intellectual disabilities.

And then we came to PALS. And we realized that this wasn’t such a crazy idea after all. Through something as simple as being a counselor, being a camper, being a friend, all of us in the PALS community have already taken a stand against the stigma and prejudice that continues to follow those with intellectual disabilities. And we’ve taken a stand for acceptance, for friendship, for respect. Whether it happened at Camp Olympics, a PALS Spread the Word event, in a Camper Speech, or an authentic conversation over lunch, we’ve all taken a stand.

Today, we hope that you’ll take a stand with us to end one part of this stigma and prejudice: the word “retard(ed).” Take the pledge to end the R-word atwww.r-word.org and then asks your friends to do the same. Together, we can make a world where acceptance and dignity for people with intellectual disabilities isn’t such a crazy idea. Together, we can make the world a bit more like Our Place.

  We hope you’ll take a minute to read the op-ed that Timbo and I wrote today for Spread the Word to End the Word. And, as a bonus, you can watch Timbo and I fidget in our interview with Huffington Post Live (also at the link).

  Peace, Love, PALS,

Soeren and Timbo

Co-Founders, Spread the Word to End the Word 2010 Camp PALS Cabrini Olympics Champions (Go Sharks)"

[palsprograms]

Meet the Directors: Introducing the Princeton Team

Meet the Princeton Director Team. Joining last year's fearless leader, returning Princeton director Whitney Flora, is David Sabia, a counselor at various PALS events for the past four summers, and Steven Rosen, a new member of the PALS family and a Princeton alum. Located on the historic and beautiful Princeton campus, this program intends to replicate the quintessential college experience--trying new things with new friends, all while developing meaningful independence. The team looks forward to meeting their campers and counselors and beginning what will surely be one of the best weeks of the summer!

Learn more about them after the jump:

Whitney: "Hey PALS fam! My name is Whitney Flora and this will be my 6th summer with this amazing organization. In the past I was a counselor and head counselor at Camp PALS Philadelphia. I then got to experience the awesomeness of Camp PALS San Francisco and this last summer I had the pleasure of being a head counselor at Camp PALS Georgetown. It will be my 2nd year as director of Camp PALS Princeton and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for this incredible summer!  I am currently a senior at the University Of Arizona majoring in Family Studies and Human Development and plan to move to the east coast as soon as I graduate. I am so unbelievably excited to work with these guys and to plan a fun-filled camp at the beautiful Princeton campus! Watch out NJ!"

David: "Hey everybody! I'm David Sabia and this summer will mark five years since my brother Steve, a 7th-year camper, introduced me into the PALS family! In that time I've served as either a counselor or head counselor at PALS Philadelphia, PALS San Francisco, PALS Georgetown and PALS Princeton. This summer I'm excited to spend my first year as a director with my amazing co-directors at PALS Princeton. I currently live in Silver Spring, Maryland, where I work as a 5th grade paraeducator in the Montgomery County Public School system. I am also working towards my Masters in Elementary Education from University of Maryland, which I will complete this upcoming May. Can't wait to meet all the counselors and campers for what will surely be one of the best weeks of the year!"

Steven: "Hi! My name is Steven Rosen and I'm a new addition to the PALS director team.  I graduated from Princeton University last year where I was a director of Princeton Disabilities Awareness (PDA), an organization that held an annual carnival for young children with Down Syndrome.  I currently live in Philadelphia but travel all over as a consultant for McKinsey and Company.  I couldn't be happier to head back to Princeton for Camp PALS!"

Camp PALS Princeton occurs on the Princeton University campus July 27- August 2, 2014 for 25 campers ages 18-25.

 To help this amazing team of directors and the rest of PALS Programs make this summer the best one yet, please consider making a contribution of any size and Donate Here!

[palsprograms]

Meet the Directors: Introducing the San Francisco Team

Meet the Camp PALS San Francisco Director Team. Joint together by their common love of baby animals and, of course, PALS, they are ecstatic to be working together. This team plans on bringing a week full of PALS magic to all participants with a hint of California style. They advise participants to prepare themselves for a trip to Google, guacamole and Ghiradelli ice cream, and countless spontaneous dance parties under SCU’s beautiful palm trees. They are already counting down the days to all the fun in the California sun!

Learn more about this director team after the jump:

Hannah: "Hi friends! My name is Hannah Cunliffe and I am beyond excited to start my 6th summer here with the Camp PALS family. In previous years, I have worked as a counselor, a head counselor, a CPS, and this will be my very first summer as a member of the San Francisco director team! I am currently a senior at West Chester University studying elementary and special education. Words cannot describe how excited I am for this upcoming summer. And with that…let the Camp PALS 2014 countdown begin!"

Sara: "Hiya! I’m Sara Glass and I could not be more thrilled to begin my 5th year at PALS. I’ve had all sorts of roles here, now including the honor of being a director for the second year in a row. I am in my third year at the University of Toronto (Oh, Canada!) studying Health and Psychology. I am so excited to work alongside Hannah and James in making our third year on the best coast better than ever!"

James: ”Hi, Camp PALS! My name is James Kuczmarski and this will be my 6th year with camp. As a former counselor, head counselor, and founder of Camp PALS San Francisco, it is so amazing working on the director team and seeing all of the magic come together! As a graduate from Princeton University and current Googler, I bring brawn and beauty to the Camp PALS San Francisco Director team. I am so lucky to be able to experience PALS in my home in the Bay area.”

Camp PALS San Francisco hits the west coast July 6 -12, 2014 for 25 campers ages 16-25.

 To help this amazing team of directors and the rest of PALS Programs make this summer the best one yet, please consider making a contribution of any size and Donate Here!

[palsprograms]

Meet the Directors: Introducing the Philadelphia Team

Meet the Camp PALS Philadelphia Director Team. Joining last year’s returning directors Jenn Grobe and Morgan Williams is PALS veteran Laura Karp. This energetic, exciting team of dedicated directors can't wait to get back to the beautiful Cabrini College campus, where Camp PALS Philadelphia has been hosted for over 10 years! They can't wait to offer PALS' youngest campers a week full of fun, excitement, friendship, and dance parties at the largest Camp PALS of the 2014 season!

Learn more about this director team after the jump:

Jenn: " Hi! My name is Jenn Grobe, and I'm anxiously awaiting my 7th summer at Camp PALS. This will be my third year as a Director and I'm already counting down the days until Camper Arrival! This fall, I began law school at George Washington University in Washington, DC, in the hopes of learning about and practicing disability law. I can't wait to spend my summer making new friends, singing karaoke, and starting dance parties on the patio!"

Morgan: "My name is Morgan Williams, and I love Camp PALS. This is my second year as a Director at the Philly program, but I’ve been involved with PALS since 2010, when Philadelphia was the only program we had. By the time we leave the launchpad this summer, I will have graduated from Swarthmore College with a double major in Political Science and Psychology. I’m really excited to be a part of the 2014 Director team for three reasons. One, I’ll get to see Jenn Grobe and Laura Karp every day. Two, I can’t wait to make new friends. Three, CAMP PALS IS THE BEST WEEK OF THE YEAR!"

Laura: " Hey there! My name is Laura Karp and I'm SO excited for my 8th summer at Camp PALS. I have been a Head Counselor and Head CPS in the past, but this will be my first summer as a director! I recently began graduate school for occupational therapy at Towson University. I want to be an OT to help young adults with their independence skills. I live in Baltimore, MD with two friends from PALS and we're already counting down the days until Camp PALS Philadelphia at Cabrini College!"

Camp PALS Philadelphia will occur June 22-28, 2014 at Cabrini College for 60 campers ages 12-18.  

 To help this amazing team of directors and the rest of PALS Programs make this summer the best one yet, please consider making a contribution of any size and Donate Here!

[palsprograms]

Meet the Directors: Introducing the Content Team

Meet the brand new, “still in the box with shrink wrap on” team of content directors. Supporting PALS across the nation, this team is composed of the energetic Paige Talhelm - Donor Relations, the veteran Jordan McCollough - Media, the classy Courtney Lynch - PALS Adventures and the awesome Ricky Price - Medical. This team was created to fulfill the needs of all programs, current and future, of our rapidly growing organization. The Content Team aims to assist each group of directors on common key areas, such as funding, staffing, and continued programming, allowing each group of camp directors to focus on making “the best weeks of the year.” While others have begun the countdown to a specific camp, the content team is already living the PALS dream by supporting each location year-round. They are inspired, motivated, and excited to support the wonderful PALS community 365 days of the year

Learn more about this team after the jump:

Paige:

“I’m Paige Talhem, and this will be my fourth year at PALS and I will be serving as our Donor Relations Director. I will be working with each of the program director teams and their donations. I’m super excited to work with each camp and am counting down the days. My interest in PALS and helping those with special needs began because of my brother who has Autism. I reside in the hood of Baltimore with my two roommates and wiener dog. I am currently a Psychology major at Towson University. In my free time, I enjoy volunteering at the Hussman Autism Center and eating a lot!”

Jordan:

“Greetings Earthlings! I’m Jordan McCollough, Director of Media, and this will be my 7th year with PALS. Over the years I’ve filled a lot of roles including counselor, blogger, and videographer. This will be my first summer as a PALS Director, and I couldn’t be more excited! I currently live in Washington, DC where I am working as a Software Test Lead for an IT consulting firm. In addition, this summer I started my own wedding videography business and have successfully completed 4 projects. I look forward to acting as videographer for PALS this summer while taking a step back to shape the future of PALS Media “the other 51 weeks” of the year. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] for any PR/Media related inquires!”

Courtney: "Hello PALS family! I’m Courtney Lynch and I’m ecstatic to officially be joining the PALS Director team! I can’t get enough PALS in my life and Summer 2014 will be my 6th summer at camp. This year, I will be working on year round PALS programs as the Director of Adventures. I graduated from Miami University in May with a degree in special education and though I grew up outside of Cleveland, Ohio, I currently live in beautiful North Carolina. I’m so thankful for this opportunity and can’t wait to bring PALS Adventures to a city near you! "

Ricky: "Hey PALS Peeps! My name is Ricky Price and I am so excited to join the Director Team for my 5th summer at PALS. I have been a counselor for the past 4 summers, so I was thrilled to receive this roll as Medical Director for PALS 2014 to help make this summer the best summer yet for all of our programs around the country. A little about me: I am a senior at Michigan State University (GO GREEN!) and I will be graduating this spring with a bachelor’s in Kinesiology and a minor in Dance. I am also in the process of applying to Medical Schools in the hopes of becoming a specialized pediatrician for persons with disabilities. I am super excited for this summer; the countdown has begun for PALS 2014!!”

To help this amazing team of directors and the rest of PALS Programs make this summer the best one yet, please consider making a contribution of any size and Donate Here!

Check back tomorrow to meet the next team of directors!

[palsprograms]

The PALS Programs Annual Fundraising Campaign is back!

Just in time for the holidays, this year’s PALS Programs Annual Fundraising Campaign has officially begun!  This year we are aiming for a total of $100,000 in donations. PALS has officially expanded to six camps for the new year and every little bit raised makes a huge difference in our future. We are confident that the PALS community has what it takes to make this campaign a huge success. Let's make this the best year yet!

You can donate online here or by mailing a check to "PALS" at 12 Dow Drive, Hillsborough, NJ 08844.

Curious as to where the money goes? View our annual report.

[aabelman]

The PALS Resource Development Team is looking for new members! Our team works to identify potential donors, create partnerships with local companies, and support the annual online Fundraising Campaign. We are looking for people who are passionate about PALS and are excited to help PALS grow for another ten years! If you're interested, please email us at [email protected].