New Castle, DE:
Recently, Crystal Trust donated to Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore to help improve the current pool and aquatic area at Camp Fairlee in Chestertown, MD. Camp Fairlee provides a typical residential camp experience for children and adults with disabilities.
“As Easterseals Camp Fairlee gears up for another fun-filled summer with over 250 campers, we find ourselves extremely grateful for this grant that will help reimagine our pool and aquatic area and provide memories that will last a lifetime for our campers,” Easterseals President/CEO, Ken Sklenar, said. “We are also humbled by the 50-year-long partnership we share with Crystal Trust. We’d like to thank them for believing in and supporting our mission of creating an inclusive community for people with disabilities.”
The pool at Easterseals Camp Fairlee is 60 years-old and has been deteriorating over the years despite ongoing repair efforts. This makes it necessary to demolish and rebuild a fully accessible, cost-effective & energy efficient aquatics program area for campers to enjoy for the next 60+ years. The re-designed pool/bathhouse will allow for full access for all abilities, incorporate shaded area for fragile campers, & provide additional safety/accessibility features such as 4 feet depth, zero entry ramp, chair lift & nonslip protective surface coating for all access areas.
“Easterseals depends on state and community partners, like Crystal Trust, to secure funding for this important and necessary improvement for Camp Fairlee,” Sklenar said. “Our campers look forward each year to enjoying an accessible pool and for some, it may be the only time during the year they get to swim. We are grateful for Crystal Trust’s support of this worthwhile project.”
The reimagined aquatics area project enhances three main areas, accessibility, safety and inclusion and will focus on the following improvements: demolishing existing pool & pump house; building new pool in the same footprint with a zero entry at a maximum depth of 4 feet, replacing pump house & all equipment, replacing chain link fence surrounding the pool area with a more aesthetic security fence, replacing bathhouse with new structure & enhanced accessible amenities, and adding a shelter area from the sun.
Learn more about Camp Fairlee, an unforgettable experience for people of all ages with disabilities, at www.CampFairlee.com or by calling 410-778-0566. To learn more about supporting the new aquatic area at Camp Fairlee, contact Beth Altemus at baltemus@esdel.org.
Celebrating 75 years, Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore is leading the way to an inclusive community through its innovative services, which include: children’s therapies, day programs for adults with physical or intellectual disabilities, supported employment, personal attendant services, senior services, recreational camping, respite services, and services for caregivers. To learn more about Easterseals, call 1-800-677-3800 or visit www.de.easterseals.com.
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