A pediatric rehabilitation hospital plans to start construction soon on a summer camp for children with disabilities.
"We're just really excited to be at this point," said Curt Peters, director and chief executive officer of the J.D. McCarty Center. "It's something that we've always wanted to do but never had the money for."
Camp ClapHans will be built on a 25-acre site around a lake southwest of the hospital in Norman. The camp will include six cabins, a dining hall with stage, an arts and crafts building, ropes course, swimming pool, stables, riding trails, campfire site, staff building and administrative offices with two nurses' stations.
It will cost an estimated $4.5 million.
The camp is named in honor of Sammy Jack Claphan, a former NFL and University of Oklahoma football player. Claphan, a native of Stilwell, became a special education teacher after retiring from football.
When he died in 2001, friends and family decided to honor him by donating money toward building the camp. Working with children with developmental disabilities was Claphan's passion, they said.
Deputy Director Vicki Kuestersteffen said camp will be specially designed for children in wheelchairs.
"Camp ClapHans will be all about giving children with disabilities the opportunity to have a camping experience," she said. "The goal is to enrich their lives, build their confidence and give them a sense of freedom."
Camps for children with disabilities are rare and are in high demand.
Through center revenues and private donors, more than $3.8 million has been raised to begin the first phase of construction this summer, Peters said. Most of the camp should be completed by December 2009.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
