Aaron's Acres, Embracing Possibilities Beyond Disabilities
Risa Paskoff
Aaron's Acres, Embracing Possibilities Beyond Disabilities
Introduced by Christine Sable
Aaron's Acres was founded in 1998 by Risa C. Paskoff and a group of parents who wanted to organize a summer camp experience for their young children who had disabilities. In its first year, 11 children participated in one week of camp in Lancaster. The organization's namesake, Aaron, was among the first campers.
Aaron's Acres is a non-profit dedicated to providing year-round, therapeutically based, age-appropriate recreation programs for children and young adults ages 5-21 with developmental disabilities. Aaron's Acres is led by professionals and university students in the fields of behavioral health, occupational therapy, special education, social work and other related fields. Aaron's Acres' 1:1 and 1:2 staff to participant ratio ensures that each participant's unique needs are met day-to-day. Programs place an emphasis on communication and socialization skills to provide a safe environment where children are encouraged to grow. Embracing Possibilities Beyond Disabilities
Risa Paskoff is the Executive Director of Aaron’s Acres and has been with the organization since it first began in 1998. Her passion has always been to provide recreational programs to children and young adults, ages 5-21 with disabilities. Creating programs for all, regardless of ability has been a constant in the work that she has done and continues to do. She attended Cornell University where she studied psychology as an undergraduate student and then went to Columbia University and received her Masters’ Degree in Social Work. Early on upon moving to Lancaster, 1993, Risa was one of the co-founders of Jewish Family Services in Lancaster, providing social services to those in need. After leaving JFS, she had a private practice which was affiliated with Roseville Pediatrics, working with children and adolescents as a psychotherapist. Risa has been married to Jack for almost 37 years and has 2 grown sons who both live in New York City.
Vicky Martin is a Lancaster County resident who is the wife of David and mom to two sweet boys, Isaiah and Jacob. Isaiah, Vicky's oldest at 9 years old, has a severe form of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (or OI for short). OI is a rare collagen disorder that is mostly known for causing fractures easily. Isaiah has fractured many times over the years, sometimes from things as simple as the hiccups, but he is still a little boy who wants to have fun and live life. Vicky is here to talk with us about Aaron's Acres, a non-profit organization that has an amazing summer camp that Isaiah enjoys immensely.
Aaron's Acres
https://aaronsacres.org
Aaron's Acres - United Way
https://uwlanc.galaxydigital.com/agency/detail/?agency_id=6447
Very Special Camps - Aaron's Acres
https://www.veryspecialcamps.com/summer-camps/Aarons-Acres-2471.html
Aaron's Acres - Extra Give
https://www.extragive.org/organizations/aaron-s-acres