The opening day featured a fun and engaging schedule of activities including a pep rally, performances, giveaways, and a parent orientation session.
“We call it inclusion camp because it’s for kids with special needs so, you’re going to see kids here, who are on the autism spectrum,” said Areva Martin, Esq., founder, president and CEO of Special Needs Network, Inc.
“You may see kids with cerebral palsy and other disabilities, what we call sometimes, invisible disabilities, but you’re also going to see a lot of their typical peers, so it’s a great environment for learning.”
Martin and the Special Needs Network recently celebrated their 15th annual Joe Patton Academy Camp (Camp JPAC) opening on the grounds of the former St. Agnes Catholic Church and School on Vermont Ave. and Adams Blvd. Expecting over 200 youth, the special event kicked off the dynamic and inclusive summer camp experience for children with special needs for the next four weeks.
“It’s a place for kids to be pushed to be able to excel at their own level, they’re still being held just like a normal camp would be held,” said JPAC Camp Director Phillip Pridemore.
“We have all ages, all disabilities, all parts of the spectrum.”
The opening day featured a fun and engaging schedule of activities including a pep rally, performances, giveaways, and a parent orientation session. The event featured music provided by JD the DJ with a live drumming performance from Victoria Djembe, an appearance from Bailey, the L.A. Kings Mascot, and the L.A. Kings Promo Team.
“Kids with autism developmental disabilities are isolated, they’re segregated, so you may go to a camp or a facility and they don’t have an opportunity to integrate with and to interact with their typical peers, that was really important to us,” said Martin.
“How do people learn how to get along with other folks with disabilities unless you’re around people with disabilities, so it’s important to us to teach empathy to neurotypical kids by giving them an experience to be around people who have neural disabilities.”
Djembe is an autism advocate and, on the spectrum, but it didn’t stop her from building a life and having a purpose. She teaches West African drumming for people with disabilities and autism and gave a charged performance.
“I was diagnosed when I was three-years-old,” said Djembe. “I couldn’t speak until I was seven-years-old.”
She continued, “I basically navigated through drumming and meeting new people and put myself in different organizations.”
She shared the keys to dealing with autism and how to work through it with a loved one, who is dealing with it.
“I would say never give up, be patient with your child and adult and always set yourself to higher standards.”
“This camp is so very, very important,” said comedian, actress and television host Sherri Shepherd. “It’s for everybody but especially for little Brown and Black kids.”
Shepherd continued, “We normally don’t get the resources that are needed and the fact that Areva Martin and her team put this together, you know my son is on the spectrum, it does my heart so good to see the compassion and the kindness and the joy on these kid’s faces.”
Shepherd’s son, Jeffrey, is a camp counselor at Camp JPAC this year. Shepherd beamed with joy sharing the news and what it means for her son.
“He’s going to be a camp counselor,” said Shepherd. “That means he’s going to have a job, he’s getting paid — I don’t have to do nothing for this little boy.
“I already got him an ATM card, I said, ‘Don’t ask me for no money.’”
Assemblymember Isaac G. Bryan came to show his love and support for Special Needs Network and Camp JPAC.
“Fifteen years going strong, infrastructure like this didn’t exist until somebody thought it up and put in the work to make it happen and that’s the kind of work Areva does day in and day out for the community, so we’re grateful for you,” said Bryan.
“Coming to events like this are incredibly important to me because my little brother Paul and my little brother Evan are neurodivergent.
“We know that there are folks in our community who exist across the spectrum, we all do and they have different needs. We have special needs and we have to build a world that includes everybody.”
He also shared that this year, he launched, along with Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, the first disability caucus in the state. A bipartisan group of legislators, Bryan shared that they intend on making sure policy across California is inclusive of everybody.
“More important than all that, I hope y’all have fun this summer, so all my campers, I hope you all have a great time this summer,” said Bryan.
“I hope you make some good friends. I make some good friends every time I come and visit and for all the parents, thank you for your trust, thank you for your faith in the Special Needs Network and Areva and the team, you are in great hands and whatever we can do to be there for you, we will be there for you.”
“First and foremost, I have a special needs son as well so when I came on to this camp, I already knew what the camp was about and I knew I wanted to be part of it,” said Pridemore.
“I knew what the cause was, I knew what the goal was, so I definitely wanted to be part of it and then stepping in, I met these kids and eight years later we’re still here, the camp keeps growing.”
“Camp JPAC is an amazing summer camp,” said Martin. “It’s going to be everything from dance to sports to technology with some educational information.
“It’s really just fun, it’s safe, it’s integrated. You see Black kids, White kids, Latino kids and it also gives jobs to young people.
“A lot of these young teenagers that you see that have staff shirts on, a lot of them are high school and college students, so these are jobs, summer jobs, so it’s a summer jobs program also providing a benefit to this community.”
“I heard about the camp from a family member, she actually referred me to them,” said JPAC staff member, Donrell Fletcher.
“I’d actually been working with kids before I started working here so, I was interested when I heard about it.
“My first time working here was last year and I had a great time working with the kids. I don’t know, it’s just something about the kids that makes me want to come back and they make it a good time working with them — it’s all about fun.”
Parents watched as their kids interacted with each other and Camp JPAC staff. Lakeisha shared how she found out about the camp and how she felt about her son having activities for the summer.
“I follow [Areva Martin] on social media,” said the mother as she watched her son throw and catch a football with a camp staff member.
“Oh, it’s so important,” said Lakeisha. “I’m so happy about this camp for my son.”
For more information about Special Needs Network and Camp JPAC, visit snnla.org.
