Press Release-Camp Lakodia's NLLC 2007 Session Helps Develop 86 Deaf Youth Leaders

From: CSD - Aug 14, 2007
____________________________
PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT
Release Date: Aug. 14, 2007
Contact: Derric Miller
CSD Communications Office
dsmiller@c-s-d.org

Camp Lakodia's NLLC 2007 Session Helps Develop 86 Deaf Youth Leaders

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Aug. 14) — Camp Lakodia, located at Lake Herman in Madison, S.D., announced another successful National Leadership and Literacy Camp, with 86 deaf or hard of hearing campers from across the state and the nation traveling to the camp to bolster their overall leadership abilities.

The 2007 NLLC held two sessions. The first, from July 5–19, included middle school age students. The following two-week session was for high school age students.

In 2000, CSD started the NLLC for deaf and hard of hearing youth of middle school age, beginning CSD’s summer youth programs. In July 2002, CSD acquired Camp Lakodia from the South Dakota 4-H program. Camp Lakodia was an ideal fit for the expansion of CSD’s summer youth programs. Since then, NLLC has expanded to middle school and high school sessions, and a basketball camp (Ronda Jo Miller Basketball Camp) was added in 2004, along with Kids of Deaf Adults Camp in 2005.

“Leadership” as an acronym is the NLLC focus: literacy, empowerment, attitude, discipline, encouragement, resourcefulness, struggle, humility, initiative and perseverance. The camp challenges the youth to overcome obstacles as a team, not only leaning on others for success but contributing to the overall success of the team. Another aspect of the camp is to prove to campers that they are capable of achieving more than they ever thought possible.

The NLLC provides many opportunities for the youngsters to compensate for the loss of sound experiences ... to be able to compete on equal terms with their normal hearing peers and to become all that is in them to be. The program serves more or less as the school's textbook helper in the areas for which the school has neither time nor manpower or funds to provide.

“I founded the NLLC for outstanding 10-18 year old deaf and hard of hearing youngsters in 2000 because the program activities are especially designed to convince them during their formative years that they have potential for leadership and intellectual growth greater than they have been led to believe,” said Frank Turk, CSD community relations officer. “Our counselors are trained to create a climate during the activities in which the children themselves, as the leaders that they can be, feel ‘Wanted, Important, and Needed,’ or WIN as an acronym.”

CSD, headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D., is the parent organization of Camp Lakodia.

For more information about Camp Lakodia and its year-round activities, go to www.camplakodia.com.

About CSD
CSD (aka Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc.) was established in 1975, primarily to provide sign language interpreting services to deaf and hard of hearing adults in South Dakota. Today, CSD employs over 2,000 individuals in offices across the nation, providing a broad continuum of social and human services programs, as well as telecommunications relay services. CSD is a private nonprofit agency dedicated to providing quality services; ensuring public accessibility; and increasing awareness of issues affecting the deaf, hard of hearing and individuals with speech disabilities. For more information, please visit www.c-s-d.org.