Camp R.O.C.K. provides recreational experiences for youths with autism

Horseback riding is one of the many activities Camp R.O.C.K. attendees will participate in when the sixth annual event takes place June 20-July 1.

June 17, 2016

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Slippery Rock University will welcome more than 20 teens and young adults with autism to the sixth annual "Camp R.O.C.K." recreational therapy program June 20-July 1.

"Camp R.O.C.K." - which stands for Recreational Opportunities Connecting Kids - will see campers ages 14-21 participate in a variety physical activity stations, including: cross-country racing, horseback riding, swimming, dance and goalball. In addition, attendees and their family members will also learn about HeartMath, a mindfulness stress-management method.

High school aged campers will be able to take part in a counselor-in-training program, providing them with the opportunity to co-lead an activity that matches their interests, such as horseback riding.

The camp is the signature offering of an extended partnership between SRU's recreational therapy program and the Butler YMCA and ARMCO Park. Betsy Kemeny, SRU assistant professor of recreational therapy, and Francine Mills, Butler YMCA director, co-directs the program.

More than 18 recreational therapy majors, music therapy majors and physician assistant students will operate the camp's activity stations; while 20 "peer campers" in the form of students from Grove City and Slippery Rock high schools will model appropriate social behaviors for the campers in a variety of social settings.

For more information about Camp R.O.C.K., contact Kemeny at 724.738.4306.  

MEDIA CONTACT: Gordon Ovenshine | 724.738.4854 | gordon.ovenshine@sru.edu