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ACA
Spokesperson Biographies
Facts
- The mission of the American Camp Association
is enriching the lives of children, youth,
and adults through the camp experience.
- Founded in 1910, ACA is a tax-exempt
corporation under Section 501(c)(3) of
the Internal Revenue Service code.
- ACA's over 7,000 members encompass
all segments of the camp profession,
including agencies serving youths and
adults, independent camps, religious
and fraternal organizations, and public/municipal
agencies. ACA is the largest association
serving the organized camp industry.
- ACA is the only organization that accredits
all types of camps, with up to 300
national standards for health and safety
that are recognized by courts of law
and government regulators. ACA accreditation
is a standardized, voluntary system of
review with a fifty-year history.
- More than 11 million children and adults
benefit from a camp experience at approximately
12,000 camps throughout the United States.
- In 2005, despite the ever-growing menu
of opportunities for child and youth
development and the current economic
conditions, camp enrollment has increased
1 to 3 percent over the past year.
 Of
the more than 2,400 ACA-accredited camps,
approximately 14 percent are dedicated
to meeting the special needs of campers
with physical, emotional, or mental challenges,
and approximately 57 percent are resident
(overnight) camps only, 41.7 percent
are day camps only, and 15 percent offer
both day and resident programs.
- More than 70 percent of ACA camps offer
coed programs, 34 percent offer female-only
programs, and 23 percent offer male-only
programs.
- According to ACA's survey of camp directors,
females make up 55 percent of total camp
enrollment and males make up 45 percent.
- Nonprofit organizations, including
the YMCA, YWCA, Camp Fire USA, Boy Scouts
of America, Girl Scouts of the USA, Woodmen
of the World, churches, and synagogues
operate 78 percent of all summer camps.
The other 22 percent are privately owned
and operated, primarily by multiple generations
of individual families.
- A recent opinion research study supported
by ACA revealed the following details
about parents' perception of the camp
experience:
- Recreational fun is an important
value of camp
- Personal experiences are the most
common source of information for peers
and parents
- Development opportunities dominate
the range of benefits
- Safe and secure facilities, along
with positive, fun activities for
their children were important
- Parents assume oversight of all
camps is being done. Because camp
involves children, they presume someone
is checking
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ACA
Spokesperson Biographies
Peg Smith, ACA Chief Executive Officer
Peg
Smith Bio
Peter Surgenor, ACA President
An advocate of the camp experience as a contributor to human and faith development,
Peter Surgenor is the national president of the American Camp Association.
As the chief elected volunteer, he serves as spokesperson for the more than
2,400 ACA-accredited camps nationwide and over 7,000 ACA members. A certified
camp director, Peter has served in Presbyterian faith-based camps for over
30 years, and brings extensive experience to his position. His experience includes
participation as an ACA volunteer since 1977, and he has also been active at
a local level as president and board member of ACA, New York. On a national
level, Peter has served as an ACA national board member, chair of ACA’s
National Education Committee, faculty for Camp Director Institutes, and a leader
in the ACA standards program. As president, Peter is committed to keeping ACA
strongly focused on the organization’s contributions to the development
of campers of all ages. Peter has extensive experience as a speaker, including
print interviews, public speaking, and live broadcast.
Expert Resources
Marla Coleman
Marla
Coleman is a past president of the
American Camp Association, the co-author
of Crisis Communications: A Handbook for
Camps and Other Youth Programs, and the
author of the blog, “Bedtime
Stories for Parents.” She and
her family own and operate Coleman Family
Camps. Marla is a spokesperson for the
camp experience, which provides a community
where trained counselors encourage youth
to take healthy risks and build on their
successes. For more information, or to
read her blog, visit www.MarlaColeman.com.
Bob Ditter
Bob Ditter is a senior level child, family,
and adolescent therapist who works with
people who work with children. He is nationally
known as the author of the Camping Magazine
column "In the Trenches," and
for his work with Disney, Sea World, the
Salvation Army, YMCA Girl Scouts, JCC,
and many other youth organizations. He
is a special consultant to America's Camp,
the camp for children whose parents were
lost in the Twin Towers on September 11,
and has received the highest awards from
the American Camp Association for his contribution
to camp over the past twenty-five years.
Linda Ebner Erceg, RN, MS, PHN
Starting with Camp Chinqueka in Connecticut
and currently with the Concordia Language
Villages of Minnesota, Linda Ebner Erceg
has worked as a camp professional since
1969. Currently specializing in camp health
services with a keen focus on risk reduction
initiatives, Linda is also executive director
of the Association of Camp Nurses, an international
nursing organization she helped launch in
1990. Linda is an ACA Standards Visitor,
serves on ACA's National Education Committee,
is a Board member of ACA's Northland Section,
and a frequent presenter at regional, national,
and international camp conferences. Her
publications include The Basics of Camp
Nursing and several articles for CompassPoint
and Camping Magazine.
Ethan D. Schafer, Ph.D.
Ethan completed his doctorate in child
clinical psychology at Case Western Reserve
University, where he is an Adjunct Assistant
Professor of Psychology. He also works
in a private practice in the Cleveland
area. He has over fifteen years of camp
experience and has been consulting with
summer camps for several years.
Ann Sheets
Ann Sheets is a certified camp director, parent of two children, and a professional
with Camp Fire USA First Texas Council. Ann is the immediate past national
president of ACA and has been an active ACA volunteer for over thirty years,
serving also as national treasurer, national board member, standards instructor,
and conference presenter. Ann speaks eloquently on the camp experience, and
has done so in numerous media interviews and presentations.
Dr. Christopher Thurber
Dr. Christopher Thurber, Ph. D. is a licensed
clinical psychologist with expertise in
children's adjustment and emotional health.
He is nationally recognized as a leading
expert on homesickness prevention. A summary
of his research appears in the widely acclaimed
book for new camper families entitled The
Summer Camp Handbook. Dr. Thurber has discussed
many aspects of the camp experience on
National Public Radio, CBS News, and the
Today Show. He received his undergraduate
degree from Harvard and his Ph.D. from
UCLA. During the academic year, he is the
school psychologist at Phillips Exeter
Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire.
Stephen Wallace, M.S. Ed.
Stephen Wallace has broad experience as a school psychologist and adolescent
counselor. He serves as Director of Counseling and Counselor Training at the
Cape Cod Sea Camps, Chairman and CEO of SADD, and Adjunct Professor of Psychology
at Mount Ida College. Stephen is a researcher, writer, and speaker who focuses
on youth development and decision-making. He is a regular contributor to regional
and national broadcasts and his bimonthly columns appear in newspapers across
the country.
Edward A. Walton, M.D., F.A.A.P., F.A.C.E.P.
Dr. Walton is assistant professor of emergency
medicine and pediatrics at the University
of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He
has been involved in camping and camp
health research for twenty years, and
his scholarly articles concerning camp
health issues have appeared in major
medical journals. He consults on camp
health issues for the American Academy
of Pediatrics and serves on the National
Board of the American Camp Association.
He has also shared his youth development
and camp expertise at medical and other
professional conferences, in broadcast
and print media, and on the internet.
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