Help Send Effie to Camp HASC

Effie is our beloved 11 year old son who fills our home with love and laughter, choas and destruction (!).  Effie (short for "Ephraim") has autism and although he is nearly 12 years old, he is on the developmental level of a 1-2 year old.  Effie attends public school in a classroom consisting of 6 students and 3 teachers.  During the summers, he goes to camp at the local Jewish Community Center, where he is placed alongside typically developing peers, with the help of a 1:1 facilitator who shadows him throughout each day.    This summer, in addition to a few weeks at JCC camp, he's been offered the opportunity to attend Camp HASC, which is a Jewish sleep-away camp for special needs children in Upstate New York (http://www.camphasc.org/).

HASC stands for Hebrew Academy for Special Children. (from their website: Camp HASC is a unique summer program which provides over 300 children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities the opportunity to enjoy an unforgettable camp experience. Camp HASC serves the social, therapeutic, academic, recreational, and medical needs of all its campers with a positive, ‘person first’ approach to care.)   HASC comes highly recommended to us, albiet with a high price tag of $12,000 for seven weeks (plus getting him there and back).  

We're asking for help to get Effie to HASC!!    

To familiarize you with Effie and his camp experiences, I am attaching a video I made of his first summer at JCC, which was truly magical!  

We thank you all and Effie thanks you in his own way. 

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