Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Hankins & Chaz Halley Founders & Directors Of Operations
Hi Jeremy Hankins & Chaz Halley, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
We started our journey in Special Education working as Behavior Support Staff, Classroom Supervisors and Behavior Technicians. Every school, public or private, has scheduled breaks throughout the school year and then summer breaks before the start of the new year. Those breaks are tough for all parents but it can be extremely challenging for parents that have a child with special needs. This can also be very stressful for the employees not on a salary pay contract at the school because this is Unpaid Time-Off for them.
This sparked the idea for Camp Spirit for us! Everyone wanted these breaks from school to be a “BREAK”! For us, we loved going to the park to play sports, hitting the beach with friends or just hanging out playing and writing music. These are things we were passionate about and wanted to provide a chance for this population of individuals to enjoy those same wonderful experiences! Camp Spirit provides just that for these individuals with special needs and it doesn’t come with pressure off a schedule or expectations of performance. We allow them to have options and choose what they would like to do with their time with us because this is their “Break” and “Free Time”. Parents are thrilled to have the provided professional help, the campers are enriched with typical community freedom, and we are overjoyed to bring all our passions in life together and share that experience with these individuals. That is the true Spirit of Camp.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Honestly it is hard to understand the thought of what a smooth road feeling would be because there is never a dull moment in the field of Special Education. It requires so much flexibility and problem solving that you are constantly having to adapt to situational battles. The journey for us personally started when we entered this field of work and having hands-on experience has had the absolute most impact on our growth as professionals but also as individuals outside of work. The special needs spectrum is a massive scale from low to high that is unlike any other in our opinion. We started at the most difficult end of that spectrum and never gave up on this population. It has ultimately been a humbling journey with many forms of battles but for us in the end it all comes down to Love and Empathy for the struggles these individuals face every day. This population has truly helped us in so many ways professionally and personally and we are truly grateful for them. So let’s just say the road has been river smooth for us. We are getting to where we want to be but there are many rocks in the river we must maneuver around to get there and keep that flow to grow. “Be like water.” -Bruce Lee
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
-“NEVER STOP PLAYING” That is the Camp Spirit motto and we hold true to it! There is always Music playing on the speaker and we encourage and welcome any movin’ & groovin’ but occasionally there is spontaneous singing to be heard for talent show stoppers. Guitars get to stummin’, drums get to drummin’, and singers get to singing’!
The Camp Directors Chaz & Jeremy are musicians that play live music at Camp but also at every Fundraising event Camp Spirit has. Soccer balls, basketballs and footballs will always be at the ready for some passing and fundamental work but our favorite is Home Run Derby with our bucket of Tennis Balls, wiffle-ball bat or tennis racket for those in need of a bigger surface area for assistance. We keep arts, crafts and sensory play on the funky side of things, too. Tie Dying t-shirts, bubble wands and giant bubble makers, shaving cream pools, and the occasional finger painted banners to bust through on Game Days. The paddle boards are always pumped up and ready to hit the bay or the waves and we also provide snorkel gear for all those in search of sea life and underwater treasure hunts. Base-camp will always have all of these recreational options but those that enjoy laying in the sunshine or crawling up in Zen Den have those available as well. Weighted blankets, beach towels and tapestries are at the ready for those in need of a chill vibe to either soak up some sun, snuggle in the shade or just have some relaxing quiet time. A little bit of light yoga and a slow stroll down the beach always gives us time to build our social skills and bring us peace of mind. We provide the options and they choose the activity. What we are most proud of about Camp Spirit is the Campers! Giving them a space for independence and opportunities of choice has truly brought them growth in ways academic institutions can’t compare to. Building those social skills, pursuing new activities without expectations or requirements, enjoying the beauties of nature, and most of all community inclusion regardless of the behavioral challenges these individuals may have. This kind of community inclusion is also beneficial for our society because it tears down the walls of non-inclusion and/or dissolves the doubt of what this population is capable of. Growth for our campers can provide growth for us all.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
All the activities we just listed for the day to day activities of camp are truly what makes us happy. We are musicians, athletes and outdoor enthusiasts. We grew up playing many different sports like baseball, football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse and wrestling. Each of us played in bands that we got pretty successful with as far as out of the garage/barn to perform on stage at music venues and music festivals. As for the outdoors we really love a lot of different hobbies but just being out in nature is fantastic. This is why I believe we have found true happiness with Camp Spirit because it’s bringing all our personal passions together and introducing them to the professional passions we have. So in turn we can say, without hesitation, We love where we work!
Pricing:
- We are vendors for the San Diego Regional Center (SDRC) and provide Monthly Weekend Camps, Summer Break Camps, Small Private Group Clinics, and occasional Community Outings (Padres Games, Gulls Games, Zoo, Balboa Park, or Outdoor Retreat Days)
- Monthly Day-of-Play is $100/Camper and if a 1:1 Support Staff is needed it will be an additional $50. These are held mid-days on either Saturdays or Sundays
- Summer Camps $200/day or $850/week M-F LIMITED SPOTS
- Small Private Group Sessions – TBD email for information and requests.
- Contact your SDRC Service Provider and ask them about CAMP SPIRIT SAN DIEGO!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://campspiritsd.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campspiritsd
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CampSpiritSD
Image Credits
Zachary Lefevre -Six Degrees Creative
