Camp Able Talent Show Highlight of Summer

For over two hours on Saturday afternoon, July 18, the sanctuary at Wesley Methodist Church was electric. The event, the 20th Camp Able talent show, had the standing-room-only crowd laughing, cheering, and finally for some, crying.

Director in training Josie Torres, a Marco Island native, wasn’t surprised that several counselors were crying at the close of the talent show, the camp’s culminating event.

"I think it's really emotional for people,” Torres said, "because everyone looks forward to this week every year. The friendships that we make here are super special to us. So when the week ends, you don't want to let go of that pure love. You want to hold on to that feeling of friendship. So it definitely is an emotional ending to the week because no one wants to say goodbye.”

The goal of Camp Able is to form a community that loves its campers just as they are. And to establish, for at least a week every year, a community of unconditional love, compassion and acceptance. The campers at Camp Able, who range in age from seven to 43, are people with a variety of physical or intellectual disabilities, or in modern terms, diverse abilities.

Judging by Saturday’s talent show, those goals were not only met but exceeded. Everyone did their part to send the 64 campers off on a high note. Each camper showed off their unique talents, ranging from singing and dancing to whistling, ventriloquism, and knock-knock jokes. Most campers were joined—and encouraged—onstage by one or more counselors. In fact, a covey of counselors were working with the performers off-stage, making final costume adjustments and suggesting moves to entertain the audience.

The audience, comprised of the campers' families, supporters, and the Marco community, did their part, too. Literally every move the performers made brought wild cheering from the adoring audience.

“We like to open it up for the community to come see what we're all about,” said Casey Johnson, in his seventh and final year as camp director. “A lot of community members at large were here today."

“It was packed in there,” said Josh Baudin, director of Christian formation at Wesley. "This is not just a highlight of the week for Camp Able; what we hear from our campers is this talent show is the highlight of the year for many of them. Some of the campers are already talking about what they're doing for next year and thinking about their costumes and songs.”

Johnson and Baudin work together to make the camp a success. Johnson has been part of 15 Camp Ables on Marco.

"I'm stepping down this year,” Johnson said. “It's been a lot to process, but it's a happy transition. It's time for the next generation to take over and do their thing.”

The baby-faced Johnson isn’t facing retirement, though. He is a high school biology teacher in the Tampa area. He was 15 when he came to Marco for his first Camp Able. He doesn’t take a salary. His payoff is nonfinancial.

“For me,” Johnson said, "it's just for everybody to have a good time. One thing that I've been talking a lot with the leadership staff about this week is that when I started doing this experience 15 years ago, it was so incredibly fun for me. The shift into leadership can be a tricky transition. It's incredibly rewarding for me to be able to provide that experience for someone else. I've really enjoyed and have been incredibly proud of all of our staff members. The amount of love and acceptance that has been shown amongst the joy, happiness, and friendship is all just really incredible. That's what makes it rewarding for me.”

Baudin has seen Johnson grow in his role in the program.

"I remember when I started in, Casey was here and he was a quiet young person,” said Baudin, who has been part of eleven Camp Ables. “Casey's evolution and growth, his love for the campers and the staff, and his willingness to stand up for what's right has really impacted the culture of this camp. We're a camp that professes inclusion and everybody has a space. That was true before Casey became director, but Casey has made that even more the case. Casey gives his all. He's here 14-15 hours a day. Then he goes home and does other preparation work. So his days are really 17-18 hours. And he's building other leaders. One of the things that we've really tried to focus on is servant leadership. Upside down leadership. And Casey has totally embodied that.”

Johnson appreciates what Baudin brings to the program, too.

"Josh is incredibly hard-working,” Johnson said. ‘He's been very patient with me as I've grown as a leader over the past seven years. He gives everything that he has to this community. There's nobody that I could have had a better pairing with to run this program.”

Matt White, pastor of Wesley Methodist, is proud that his church hosts Camp Able.

“What an electric atmosphere,” White said at the conclusion of the talent show. "This was an incredible week, celebrating 20 years of Camp Able. It was an absolute home run. And we had the opportunity to use every square inch of the church property all week long. So we really loved it. It's a great way to serve the community and make a lot of connections in the community. We had some incredible vendors that donated a large number of items for the camp, and every year the camp is a full scholarship camp, so every kid's on a scholarship. It costs about $500 per camper. We raise over $30,000 throughout the year to cover the cost of the camp. And then we have lots of other donations. But it's also a real boost for our local churches, because many of them have volunteers that help at the camp. It really makes it a great summer for many volunteers and the different church women's groups and men's groups and various groups in the community that come out to help. We love that. We have been the host church for the last seven or eight years. Saint Mark's Episcopal Church was the host church before that. Sometimes people have said you can kind of outgrow your space and you might have to move it to another venue. We’re pretty well maxed out right here at this venue.”

In addition to Torres, Luz Perez, Mia Denson, and Juan Acosta will serve as co-directors of next year’s Camp Able, which will run from July 13-18.