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Aspen Daily News | Aspen, Colorado
For its 40th anniversary celebration, the Aspen Camp School for the Deaf has a lot more planned than just a big party. The board of directors and administrators at the Snowmass-based school, which focuses mainly on year-round outdoor educational programs for kids with hearing impairments, have decided not to sell or rezone any of the school's 15-acre campus to raise funds for the school, and have also chosen to make the campus more of a community resource by opening its doors to other valley non-profits.
"We really wanted to be true to the original donors, and in the original deed for the camp it said that the land was to be for deaf and disabled children," said three-year board member and recently appointed Aspen Camp School for the Deaf Executive Director Judith Cross. "We seriously considered several alternatives including selling off some of our land or getting it rezoned, but we felt that anything we did along those lines would take away from the original intent."
While the school has always been reliant on donors, Cross said that those contributions don't fully cover operating expenses. Many of the programs, like the two-day outdoor education programs open to middle and high school students throughout the valley, have a nominal charge per student. Some of the larger sessions are a bit more costly, but scholarships are available.
Cross said that after much soul searching, the board went through the tumultuous process of figuring out how to implement a strategy that would still focus on deaf and disabled children, but would also give the rest of the valley an appreciation for what Aspen Camp School for the Deaf does.
"We really want people to visit us and feel that the camp is a resource," Cross said. "We've been here 40 years and this is a great time to revisit our strategy. We're always going to be primarily for the deaf, but that doesn't mean we can't be available for others, particularly when the deaf can't use it."
In addition to partnerships with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, Aspen Camp School for the Deaf is currently negotiating a relationship with valley-based Extreme Sports Camp, which is a day camp for children with autism.
"They don't have overnight lodging," Cross said. "So we'll let them use our excess housing, and maybe even have some joint programs for the autistic and deaf kids if they're compatible."
As the school's mission has evolved and expanded, so has the desire to upgrade the facilities. The lodge, described as the heart of the camp, has been around since the school's inception, and is the central gathering space and food hall for Aspen Camp School for the Deaf. Cross said that a new, expanded lodge would assist with the new goal of serving a larger population. A renovation of some of the housing facilities is also planned for the coming months to increase the numbers of beds on the campus.
"We want this camp to reach a level it's never achieved before," Cross said. "Anyone who was here back during the days of John Denver remembers great outdoor concerts and fun events here all the time. We want that again, and better."
And Cross doesn't want to limit herself to the valley community. With world-class fly-fishing, hiking, skiing and camping right in the school's backyard, she envisions the camp bringing deaf and hard of hearing students and their families to the campus from all around the country.
"It was a great decision not to sell any of our land," she said. "I mean, what non-profit could afford what we already have in this valley. We're hoping the community sees the value of keeping it."
For more information on the Aspen Camp School for the Deaf and volunteer opportunities, visit Aspen Camp School for the Deaf.
For its 40th anniversary celebration, the Aspen Camp School for the Deaf has a lot more planned than just a big party. The board of directors and administrators at the Snowmass-based school, which focuses mainly on year-round outdoor educational programs for kids with hearing impairments, have decided not to sell or rezone any of the school's 15-acre campus to raise funds for the school, and have also chosen to make the campus more of a community resource by opening its doors to other valley non-profits.
"We really wanted to be true to the original donors, and in the original deed for the camp it said that the land was to be for deaf and disabled children," said three-year board member and recently appointed Aspen Camp School for the Deaf Executive Director Judith Cross. "We seriously considered several alternatives including selling off some of our land or getting it rezoned, but we felt that anything we did along those lines would take away from the original intent."
While the school has always been reliant on donors, Cross said that those contributions don't fully cover operating expenses. Many of the programs, like the two-day outdoor education programs open to middle and high school students throughout the valley, have a nominal charge per student. Some of the larger sessions are a bit more costly, but scholarships are available.
Cross said that after much soul searching, the board went through the tumultuous process of figuring out how to implement a strategy that would still focus on deaf and disabled children, but would also give the rest of the valley an appreciation for what Aspen Camp School for the Deaf does.
"We really want people to visit us and feel that the camp is a resource," Cross said. "We've been here 40 years and this is a great time to revisit our strategy. We're always going to be primarily for the deaf, but that doesn't mean we can't be available for others, particularly when the deaf can't use it."
In addition to partnerships with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, Aspen Camp School for the Deaf is currently negotiating a relationship with valley-based Extreme Sports Camp, which is a day camp for children with autism.
"They don't have overnight lodging," Cross said. "So we'll let them use our excess housing, and maybe even have some joint programs for the autistic and deaf kids if they're compatible."
As the school's mission has evolved and expanded, so has the desire to upgrade the facilities. The lodge, described as the heart of the camp, has been around since the school's inception, and is the central gathering space and food hall for Aspen Camp School for the Deaf. Cross said that a new, expanded lodge would assist with the new goal of serving a larger population. A renovation of some of the housing facilities is also planned for the coming months to increase the numbers of beds on the campus.
"We want this camp to reach a level it's never achieved before," Cross said. "Anyone who was here back during the days of John Denver remembers great outdoor concerts and fun events here all the time. We want that again, and better."
And Cross doesn't want to limit herself to the valley community. With world-class fly-fishing, hiking, skiing and camping right in the school's backyard, she envisions the camp bringing deaf and hard of hearing students and their families to the campus from all around the country.
"It was a great decision not to sell any of our land," she said. "I mean, what non-profit could afford what we already have in this valley. We're hoping the community sees the value of keeping it."
For more information on the Aspen Camp School for the Deaf and volunteer opportunities, visit Aspen Camp School for the Deaf.