Blind citizens find refuge at local camp
by  SCOTT SHANLEY
Posted: 2007-07-19

Wall resident Ruth Giuffre was borderline suicidal immediately following her husband’s death during 2005.

To make matters worse, she discovered she was rapidly losing her vision shortly afterward.

"Everything was crashing around me," she said. "I could no longer read, drive my car or figure out my bills. I couldn’t do anything."

However, instead of surrendering to her newfound ailment, Giuffre decided to persevere. Rather than sulking at home, she sought help from what may perhaps be one of the only groups of people that truly understand how her condition has affected her day-to-day activities. She walked through the doors of Camp Happiness, Leonardo, and was soon able to see she had plenty of reasons to live.

"This is the place that keeps me going," she said. "With everything that has happened to me within the past three years most people would have given up. But I’m not going to."

Camp Happiness was established in 1910 by the NJ Blind Citizens Association (NJBCA). It serves as a non-profit organization dedicated to providing various free programs and activities for blind men, women and children throughout the state. According to Executive Director Doug Scott, the facility offers courses in computers, arts and crafts, fitness, crocheting and gardening.

There is also a job search engine available in addition to a summer vacation home overlooking the Sandy Hook Bay. He said he is often surprised by some of the products attendees of the camp can create.

"Some of these folks here are very gifted," he said. "Sometimes I have no idea how they do it. It’s such a great program."

Middletown resident Dottie Lee said she would have been completely house-ridden if she hadn’t discovered the camp. According to her, the friendships and companionships she has developed with her fellow visually impaired mates have been virtually unmatched.

"We all offer support to each other," she said. "We come here and drink coffee and play bingo and talk. It’s hard having to learn to adjust."

Attendee Grace Good agreed. She joined earlier this year, making her the newest member of the camp.

"I’ve learned so much from everyone here," she said. "I didn’t realize there are people out there that are much more afflicted than me."

Good was one of four residents that were busy crocheting blankets the day The Courier visited the camp. Upon completion, the items are donated to Project Linus, a program based out of Keyport that provides blankets for newborn children of families in need.

"I used to really love to crochet," Good said, "and I thought I would never be able to do it once I lost my vision. But I learned to crochet using my sense of touch."

Lee added that the camp is not just a place where visually impaired residents come to pass the time. She said it is a common ground where people with similar problems can bond and learn from each other.

"The companionship here is just astronomical," she said. "There are so many things that make this place extra special, but the friends you make are by far the best."

Not just for the blind

Visually impaired citizens are not the only ones that have benefited from spending time at Camp Happiness. Scott said he is lucky to have found a job that comes with such a rewarding sense of satisfaction.

"I actually enjoy getting up in the morning now," he said. "I never used to when I worked in the corporate world."

Jane Smith has been a volunteer at the camp for nearly three months. She recalled visiting the camp when she was 7 years old through a picnic sponsored by the Middletown Lions Club.

"I had such a good experience that I had to come back," she said. "I said to myself ‘this is what I really want to do.’ There’s just such a positive atmosphere and outlook here. Everyone feels so comfortable."

Ray Carlisle is the only staff member at the camp that is also visually impaired. He has been teaching computer classes there since last October. Additionally, he designed a Web site for the facility late last year — something the camp had never had before.

"Working here has been a wonderful experience," he said. "I enjoy all the things I’ve been doing and all the people I’ve been meeting. It’s been very nice."

Camp members agreed that the staff ultimately contributes to the sense of intimacy and camaraderie that is shared between everyone that participates at the camp. Even though the staff may not be able to completely comprehend the daily difficulties these people encounter, they have taken measures to ensure that visually impaired residents receive the services they are entitled to, camp participants said.

However, Scott said that there are still trials staff members face on a regular basis. The camp is funded almost entirely through donations. It receives no aid from the state whatsoever.

"Public generosity has really kept us going in the past 100 years," he said, "but we’re still running at a deficit. We’re always in need of funding."

The executive director said the Lions have been extremely instrumental in seeing that the camp is able to remain open for many years to come. The club organizes multiple fund-raisers annually to help sustain the programs that run through each year.

"We certainly couldn’t have done any of this without all of the support from the Lions," Scott said. "It’s incredibly rewarding to know that there are so many people out there backing the blind community."

As for Giuffre, the camp has boosted her morale to a point in which she had previously never thought was possible. She recently resumed an old career of hers, something her and her husband used to immensely enjoy together — clowning.

"I was a clown for 23 years and I just got back into it," she said. "I just performed at the fireworks show in Wall."

The camp attendees concurred that "Foopers," Giuffre’s fun-loving alter ego, has indeed been a hit among the facility. She is often accompanied by her pet parrot, Merlin, whether she is performing or not.

"Merlin is like the unofficial mascot here at the camp," she said. "He picks things up when I drop them and even gets my mail for me. I can’t see the magic tricks, but I still love to do it."

Giuffre said that suicide would never be an option for her again. In fact, her newfound outlook on life has been quite the opposite. She frequently volunteers to work with suicidal patients at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune. When looking back, she said she has one place to thank for it all.

"Camp Happiness pretty much saved my life," she concluded. "I really don’t think I would be on this earth if it were not for this organization."

For more information on Camp Happiness call (732) 291-0878.