{"id":33552,"date":"2023-01-09T19:18:33","date_gmt":"2023-01-09T19:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ayf.com\/?p=33552"},"modified":"2023-01-09T19:18:33","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T19:18:33","slug":"powerful-community-partners-at-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ayf.com\/powerful-community-partners-at-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Powerful Community Partners at Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

All youth deserve to experience the power of self-discovery and personal growth American Youth Foundation outdoor education programs provide. The strong relationships formed between the AYF and its Community and School Program partners expands this access to hundreds of young participants each year.<\/p>\n

Merrowvista<\/a> and Miniwanca<\/a> work with other mission-driven organizations and area schools to create collaborative programs that fulfill the partner organizations’ needs and incorporate the values of the AYF. Community and School Programs take full advantage of the sites\u2019 many assets, including talented staff, youth-focused facilities, and programmatic elements.<\/p>\n

One such successful partnership between Merrowvista and Camp Meridian has flourished for nearly 20 years. Founded by pediatric cardiologist Dr. Naomi Gauthier, Camp Meridian is a three-day weekend program for children with heart conditions that prohibit them from participating in more traditional camps.<\/p>\n

The program is free for youth to attend and staffed with doctors, nurses, and medical staff to ensure the campers\u2019 safety while they participate in activities designed with them in mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo see the kids flourish outside of the hospital and outside of the clinic is really rewarding,\u201d said Leigh Hardiman, Camp Meridian Executive Director. \u201cWe encourage the whole idea behind why Dr. Gauthier founded this organization, which was that these campers are so much more than a heart condition and capable of doing more than they think they can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Merrowvista Client Relations Manager Jamie O\u2019Hagin said Merrowvista staff advise on programmatic elements, such as scheduling and activities (think climbing walls and ropes courses), and provide paid and volunteer staff who bring energy, joy, and playfulness to the weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe call ourselves Camp Meridian staff that weekend because we try to keep it immersive \u2014 and so the kids themselves might not even know that there’s a difference in staff,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Camp Meridian puts together the program, builds relationships with campers, and brings the mystery.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn previous years, there is this mystery storyline the campers get to follow, and every activity they do provides clues,\u201d O\u2019Hagin said. \u201cThe campers and staff got really into it, and it created this awesome sense of wonder and joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gauthier founded Camp Meridian in 2002 with other medical professionals and Astrid Wielens, Merrowvista Director of Programs at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cGauthier just has an amazing mind for creating magic,\u201d O\u2019Hagin said. \u201cJoy is one of the great outcomes of this program. All the kids are so excited about everything, and they just want to have a fun weekend where they can be kids and not have to think about all the things that can be pretty worrying in their life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The camp, which took place in-person this October for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, offers tailored programs for three age groups: youths ages 8 to 12, teens 13 to 15, and older teens (called Navigators) ages 16 to 17. Hardiman said Camp Meridian created the two older groups when the original campers aged out of the program but wanted to continue attending.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2008, we got some very kind funding to start a teen program because some of the kids just didn’t want it to end,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

While partnership with Merrowvista provides a beautiful landscape and quality facilities, Hardiman said the staff makes the program so special.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe staff there year after year is phenomenal,\u201d Hardiman said. \u201cI don’t know where they find everyone. Everyone has hearts of gold, is in it for the right reasons, and definitely wants to watch the campers grow and experience new things and challenge themselves, which is huge. And we’re able to provide some medical supervision so that nobody’s worried.\u201d<\/p>\n

The camp is funded solely through fundraising by and donations made to the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital and Health Foundation.<\/p>\n

Hardiman said the program \u201cfosters a lifelong bond and connection that they’re not going to make with everyone else.<\/p>\n

Camp Meridian has found a similar bond with Merrowvista, as staff and volunteers from both organizations plan what can be a camper\u2019s first overnight experience away from home.<\/p>\n

\u201cCamp Meridian has been lovingly held through a lot of different hands at Merrowvista,\u201d O\u2019Hagin said. \u201cLooking back, there were many people who passed the torch along. It’s such a neat program, and I feel like we’re really lucky to get the chance to work with these folks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hardiman said working with the AYF has been an amazing experience. \u201cI love everyone I’ve worked with at Merrowvista and have just been continually impressed by the quality of people and the experiences they provide,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For more information about Merrowvista Community & School Programs<\/a>, email Director of Community and School Programs Dayna Vuksinick at dvuksinick@ayf.com<\/a>.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

For more information about Miniwanca Community & School Programs<\/a>, email Conferences, Community, and School Programs Director Michael Harter at mharter@ayf.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

All youth deserve to experience the power of self-discovery and personal growth American Youth Foundation outdoor education programs provide. The strong relationships formed between the AYF and its Community and School Program partners expands this access to hundreds of young participants each year. Merrowvista and Miniwanca work with other mission-driven organizations and area schools to create collaborative programs that fulfill … <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":33553,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[171,62],"tags":[182,172,139,70],"class_list":["post-33552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-and-school-programs","category-merrowvista","tag-camp-meridian","tag-community-and-school-programs","tag-jamie-ohagin","tag-merrowvista"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPowerful Community Partners at Heart - American Youth Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ayf.com\/powerful-community-partners-at-heart\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Powerful Community Partners at Heart - American Youth Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"All youth deserve to experience the power of self-discovery and personal growth American Youth Foundation outdoor education programs provide. 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