Children with learning disabilities are frustrated by traditional schooling, disheartened by a lack of support for their learning style and perhaps bullied because they just don’t fit in. Fortunately, Foothills Academy Society offers some relief. The Calgary-based centre has full-time school programs and community services for children and youth with learning disabilities. This summer, CHAS will fund $5000 for an online format of Camp Amicus, a social-skills-based camp that offers programming for children and youth with learning disabilities and ADHD.

Under ordinary circumstances, Camp Amicus is a day and overnight camp filled with activities like crafts, rope climbing, archery, horseback riding and canoeing. However, due to COVID-19, the regular camp will not be able to run this year. Instead, Foothills Academy will offer the camp programming online.

The camp’s details are still a work in progress, but this spring, Foothills Academy offered its recreational programs through Zoom. The academy dropped off boxes filled with supplies at each participant’s home. Two program counsellors lead participants in activities such as social skills lessons using these supplies. The academy believes it can expand this format to its camp to serve 30 to 36 campers at a time. Camp Amicus offers a 3:1 camper to counsellor ratio, and it plans to maintain this ratio by utilizing Zoom’s chat room feature.

This summer, more than ever, families need financial assistance to participate in Camp Amicus due to the economic impact of the pandemic and the drop in oil prices. In addition, Foothills Academy’s fundraising has been severely affected by the pandemic, limiting the academy’s ability to provide financial assistance to everyone who requires it. Thanks to CHAS, more children with learning disabilities and ADHD will build social skills, self-confidence and self-esteem while parents will receive a much-needed respite.

"It is amazing that CHAS has been a supporter of Camp Amicus since 1989,” says Janice Nelson, manager, communications and fund development at Foothills Academy Society. “The ongoing commitment to ensuring that a specialized camp for children with learning disabilities and ADHD is financially accessible is truly appreciated by the families that we work with and by us as an organization. In 2020, the camp will look different as we pivot to provide programming online due to COVID-19. We appreciate the support of CHAS as we step into this new territory."