Week 7 (08/04/2014 - 08/10/2014): Camp ASCCA, National Convention and the Summer of a Lifetime
For the final time, this is Nick Julian your very own Build America - ACC
Correspondent reporting from the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity's National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia.
This past week, the Build America team visited a camp that Push America and Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity has worked with for more than 20 years, Camp ASCCA in Jackson's Gap, Alabama.
Our Last Camp
Established in 1976, Camp ASCCA, an Easter Seals Camp, has been serving the Great State of Alabama and has been "a nationally recognized
leader in therapeutic recreation and is known throughout the world for its superior quality services". ASCCA (pronounced like "ask a") is actually an acronym for Alabama's Special Camp for Children and Adults and it couldn't be more true.
Our Projects
Our primary project at Camp ASCCA was to build a 9-hole disc golf course and its necessary components, but being the 2014 Build America team, we asked what else needed to be done and to that one project we added two more: building park benches and planing all wood signs.
I was on the Disc Golf Baskets team, and within the first two days, our team had the disc golf baskets completed and ready for installation on the course. The baskets team then became the marking
team where we routed and painted posts for the golf holes. At that point, some of the team had fractured to help the other two teams, so I went from the basket team to the planing team.
The planing team was fun, but ridiculously loud. Thank goodness for ear protection, but even then the planer that we were using just seemed to drown out all other noise. That aside, it made the camp signage look
brand new.
After our projects were completed, and we had our final dance party with campers at Camp ASCCA, we made our way to Atlanta, Georgia, the home of the 54th Supreme Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. It was a bittersweet trip because it symbolized the accomplishment of completing a Push America summer event and joining our philanthropy's society for those who have done the same, called
the Pi Alpha Society, but it also marked the end of the 2014 Build America route.
Saying Goodbye!
The next couple of days were a time of intense emotions for the Build America team. Feelings of pride and sadness, togetherness
and separation, and an overwhelming feeling of brotherhood were coursing through the hearts and minds of the entire 2014 Build America team.
The Ability Experience
Additionally, Push America unveiled its new branding and
its new name, The Ability Experience. The Ability Experience is a better representation of the mission of Pi Kappa Phi's Philanthropy and is a better representation of what we have seen this past summer being on the Build America team: the abilities of all people. We are excited for the future of The Ability Experience and we hope that you can continue your support of this organization. It truly changes lives. Check out our re-branding video: http://vimeo.com/103009553.
Thank Yous
It is truly something special when you can spend seven weeks with
a group of people and never want those weeks to end. On behalf of the 2014 Build America team, thank you for your endless support.
A special thanks goes to Rob Robillard, Todd Fratzel of Tool Box Buzz, and the Concord Carpenter team for giving us a skill set that has proven itself to be an incredible asset. You do more than build, you inspire.
Thank you to Milwaukee, STANLEY, and DeWALT. We could not have done such an incredible job with our camp projects without you. Your tools are amazing and we are so lucky to have your partnership.
To the friends and alumni who served as our families on the trip sponsoring meals giving us lodging, donating to Push America, your generosity has inspired our team to give to others as you have to us, thank you.
Thank you to you the readers of this newsletter for supporting our team, and AConcordCarpenter.com.
I went from having zero experience with carpentry to being able to build a wheelchair ramp, a deck, or to at least figure out what it would take to create what is in my mind's eye. Your support of this website and of this company has helped hundreds of people this summer. Your continued support truly makes the difference.
Lastly, my final thanks goes to the Brothers I slept, showered, ate,
joked, and cried with. Your dedication to The Ability Experience, to your work, and to the spirit of brotherhood that we share has changed my life. I am inspired to continue my public service and to be as our fraternity has taught us to become "a servant leader". I love you all dearly.
For the last time, until we meet again, this is Nick Julian. Thank you for the summer of a lifetime.
