FEATURED STORY
Alum Creates Camp Inclusion … for Everyone
BY TY DEMARTINO ’90
AJ Rosenthal ’14 had a dilemma. When he was a high school senior, the young athlete needed a summer job, but he didn’t want to give up his evening baseball games.
While volunteering with his school’s mentorship program, which provided peer-related activities for students with special needs, AJ came up with an idea. He pitched to administrators at Glenelg High School in Howard County, Maryland, the possibility of extending their buddy program into the summer. He dreamed of offering a day camp to all students with or without special needs – a place where any young person could “be themselves and create bonds among other campers and counselors in a safe, structured environment.” Educators welcomed the idea.
With that, Camp Inclusion was born. And AJ made his ballgames.
AJ ’14 and Dallas Wiles Rosenthal with their son, Cooper.
Now, 12 years later, AJ’s temporary summer job has turned into a full-time commitment. Camp Inclusion has expanded to offer a true service for young people to boost their confidence and independence and build lasting relationships.
“Many of these students go away for the summer, and it’s like a reset button,” AJ confided, noting that the camp gives students a continual sense of belonging.
Back in the beginning, AJ had the sports side of camp wrapped up. But he knew that students would eventually want to take part in other activities. He recruited help from his then-girlfriend, now-wife Dallas Wiles to expand program offerings. She’s now assistant camp director.
“I was fitness and sports all the way. … Dallas brought in the creative side of things,” he said.
“We give these students freedom and just allow them to be teenagers,” Dallas said.
Even though they were teenagers at the time, AJ and Dallas had experience with young people with special needs. They understood that they just want to feel included and have friends.
“It was just a great social opportunity for the students,” added Dallas. “They could build friendships and carry them into the school year.”
After his high school graduation, AJ headed west to FSU where he played football for one year and baseball for three, while Dallas went east to Salisbury University. The couple continued to spend each summer running Camp Inclusion. AJ earned his physical education degree and Dallas obtained her degree in special education. They both applied the knowledge they gained from their college classes to the camp.
“We’ve really grown with our program,” AJ noted. “And, as educators, we’ve evolved.”
Since graduating from FSU, AJ has worked in the Howard County Public School system as an elementary PE teacher and now as an adapted PE teacher helping children with special needs. Dallas is a pre-K special education teacher.
Recalling that first summer in 2009, AJ and Dallas said the camp attracted “about eight or nine” individuals from two local high schools. This summer, they anticipate 30-plus students with a 1:3 camper-staff ratio. They make it a priority to hire high school and college camp counselors to continue the peer-buddy atmosphere.
When AJ and Dallas were “old enough,” they filed for nonprofit status for Camp Inclusion. The program is now a mid-Atlantic regional camp, attracting students from West Virginia and visiting youngsters from Florida, Connecticut, Ohio and other locations. With last year’s camp going online due to COVID-19, it brought in even more students from far distances.
“That’s one of the benefits of going virtual. Geography is not a factor,” AJ said.
The virtual sessions also allowed the camp to offer new programs, such as cooking lessons, yoga and life skills, throughout the year. “It was a great way to keep everyone connected,” Dallas noted.
When AJ and Dallas got married in June of 2014, they took a two-and-a-half-week honeymoon and then jumped right into camp. Within the last year, the couple welcomed a new “camper” – their son Cooper, who is appropriately named after Cooperstown, N.Y., the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Cooper will be making occasional appearances at camp this summer as his mom and dad look forward to another year of activities, inclusion and overall happy campers.
“We give these students freedom and just allow them to be teenagers,” Dallas said.
“It’s so amazing to see,” AJ added. Looks like they hit a home run.
Get more information online about Camp Inclusion.