By Amanda Mlekush
As the first-ever Camp Jean Rankin came to an end, it was difficult to tell who came away with the most impact–the campers or the graduate students and clinicians who worked with them during the week. The camp, a residential camp held on the Appalachian State University campus designed to help kids ages 11 to 16 who stutter, was held for the first time in summer 2023.
Eight campers were selected to attend the inaugural camp, and worked with App State graduate students studying Speech Language Pathology, licensed Speech-Language Pathologists from area school systems and with faculty in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences from App State.
“Our campers showed an incredible amount of bravery during the week, and even though they played hard, they worked even harder to address their issues with fluency and gain confidence when speaking,” said Dr. Joe Klein, associate professor at Appalachian State University and co-director of Camp Jean Rankin. “As a child, and as an adult who stutters, I personally understand how challenging it can be. We talked a lot this week about the fact that it’s ok to stutter and be who you are, and to talk the way that you talk.” (Caption: Klein talks to campers about his personal struggle with stuttering during a group session. Photo Credit: Kyla Willoughby.)
In addition to participating in individual and group speech therapy sessions, the campers also spent time bonding and participating in typical summer camp fun.
Activities included rock climbing at Footsloggers tower in downtown Boone, swimming at the Blowing Rock pool, hiking on a Blue Ridge Parkway trail and playing games and practicing the fluency skills they were learning each day.
“We were honored to have campers from Illinois and Maryland, as well as campers from across North Carolina,” remarked Dr. Holly Hanley, director of clinical education, assistant clinical professor and co-director for the camp. “Parents were thankful that their children who stutter had a place to go to receive individual and group therapy.”
During the camp’s closing ceremonies, each camper created and presented a slide show of their experiences to about 60 people including their camp family, their families and friends and others assembled in the Atrium of Leon Levine Hall.
For many of the campers, it was their first time having the opportunity to meet other kids who shared similar issues with speech fluency and understood the challenges they faced.
One camper said she learned that people can stutter in different ways. Another camper was the life of the party, dancing at the beginning of his presentation where he shared: “Paul Rudd, Samuel L. Jackson, Joe Biden, Bruce Willis, Marilyn Monroe and me. What do these people have in common? They’re all famous people who stutter.” Another camper had never spent a night away from home, but said she enjoyed camp, even though the beds weren’t as comfortable as home. One camper said his therapists were creative in using his love of Pokemon to get him involved in speech therapy that used Pokemon characters and places from Pokemon Go.
The campers weren’t the only people who said that their experiences at Camp Jean Rankin were impactful; the graduate students studying speech-language pathology came away with valuable experiences working with their clients.
Luz-Hazel Walrath, a second year graduate student who speaks Spanish and English, was paired with a camper who is bilingual and has speech fluency issues in both languages. “I was not expecting to see huge changes from day one to the end of camp,” said Walrath. “The campers were not afraid to ask real, genuine, hard questions about stuttering, and it was moving to hear their thought process, feelings, and point of view of their stuttering. I worked with a camper who stuttered and cluttered in both languages. (Photo courtesy of Walrath).
“Toward the end of the camp, he was more optimistic about life and accepted his stuttering and cluttering. I cried at the closing ceremonies of camp because I am proud of my camper for all the accomplishments he has made in just one week. I can only imagine what more he could do in a longer time span.”
Funding to establish the camp was made possible by App State alumnus Ed Rankin ‘70 and his wife Thuy Le. Rankin said he experienced firsthand the importance of having an experience like Camp Jean Rankin when his daughter attended a similar type of camp in Spokane. “Her experience was life-changing,” Rankin said. “She learned to accept herself as a person who stutters and discovered many techniques to help her more successfully navigate communication with others and manage her stuttering.”
(Article about Camp Jean Rankin donation)
“Our focus for the camp was and will continue to be on ensuring that children and teens who stutter and their parents are supported,” said Hanley. “Stuttering is a low incidence disorder, and often parents and their children who stutter don’t receive the support needed. Our goal at the camp is to make sure that children who stutter know that it’s okay to stutter. Through Camp Jean Rankin, we hope that children who stutter accept who they are and feel empowered as they continue through life.”
About 2024 Camp Jean Rankin
Plans are underway for the 2024 Camp Jean Rankin. Applications for the camp will open in January 2024.
Since space is limited, additional consideration will be given to young people who believe stuttering is negatively impacting their lives. Camp Jean Rankin is designed to teach young people who stutter that they can accomplish great things and gain confidence when speaking.
The camp serves: young people ages 11-16 who are experiencing issues with stuttering
Learn more about the upcoming camp.
Woman with ball cap sits next to a young man in the forest
Luz-Hazel Walrath said she learned a lot from working with her camper