18 holes give opportunity to ‘ the voice within’
Released: April 19, 2004
Authentic Voices of America (AVA), a camp designed for young people ages 12 to 21 with severe speech disabilities, will convene for the fourth consecutive summer at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
To offset the many costs of this innovative camp, AVA is hosting the Third Annual Golf Classic at Koshkonong Mounds Country Club in Fort Atkinson, May 27. The cost per player is $60, which includes 18 holes of golf, cart, buffet dinner from the grill, prizes, raffles, awards and contests. Individual holes can also be sponsored for $100 each.
The contributions are essential, as AVA needs more than $1,300 per camper to cover costs, but charges each participant only $700. This summer, AVA is expecting a record 15 participants. Last years camp drew 13 participants from seven states and one from Germany.
Jon Feucht, a 2003 UW-Whitewater alumnus and current graduate student, is the founder and director of AVA, which has the goal of helping youth with disabilities become better users of their communication devices and helping improve self-esteem and independence. Developed in 2001, AVA provides opportunities many participants have never tried, such as swimming, going to movies and traveling to the Wisconsin State Capitol and State Street shops in Madison. They also hear from successful professionals who use devices themselves.
One innovative opportunity offered, for the first time last summer, was art workshops instructed by Greg Porcaro, assistant professor of art at UW-Whitewater. He became inspired to put the workshops together and collaborate with AVA after seeing the movie “King Gimp,” a documentary chronicling more than 10 years of the life of Dan Keplinger, who has cerebral palsy, and how he comes across the power of art and what making art does for him spiritually and emotionally.
“The making of art transcends physical limitations,” Porcaro said. “I wanted, as an artist and an educator, to create the opportunities for people with disabilities to express themselves artistically. It was a very powerful moment for me emotionally, seeing these young people express themselves artistically, many for the first time.”
Registration deadline for individuals and teams is May 7. For more information, contact Susan Wolff at (262) 472-1674 or wolffs@uww.edu
- Katie Stoffel ,stoffelka14@uww.edu
