Paws’the fun-loving, jersey-wearing Detroit Tigers mascot’will root for Clarkston’s home team as he signs autographs, poses for photos and cheers participants in the upcoming SCAMP Walk and Roll.
The event, which takes place Sunday, May 4, raises money to help support SCAMP, a non-profit six-week summer day camp for children and young adults with special needs.
Registration takes place in downtown Clarkston’s Depot Park and runs from 11:45-1:00 pm., with staggered start times at 12pm, 12:20, 12:40 and 1pm.
Participants have the option of walking’or rolling’along a one, two or five mile route.
Bicycles, strollers, and wheelchairs are welcome, and Fido can come along, too.
But, for safety sake, organizers are asking participants to leave roller blades and skates at home.
‘This is truly a family event,? said Donna Clancy, executive director of the SCAMP funding corporation. ‘It’s like a first rite of spring in Clarkston.?
All students collecting more than $50 in pledges’as well as adults collecting at least $100’receive a bright orange commemorative T-shirt with blue lettering.
Hot dogs and beverages are free, and prizes for oldest walker, youngest walker, best-decorated bike or wheelchair, largest group and most unique hat will be awarded, as well.
In addition, a children’s log cabin playhouse built by Oakland Technical Campus Northwest (OTEC) students, will also be on display Sunday.
The playhouse will be raffled off during SCAMP’s annual Home Tour in June.
Clancy said response to the annual event has been good so far, despite a flagging economy.
‘It’s rough out there,? she said. ‘But some things are worth saving, and SCAMP is one of them.?
Now in its 35th year, SCAMP’s recreational activities and social events help students’who attend from all over southeast Michigan’to maintain academic achievement and build self-esteem.
About 90 percent of SCAMPers are challenged by difficulties such as autism, mental or emotional impairment, learning disabilities, speech and language delay, or physical handicaps. The remaining 10 percent are identified by school personnel as students ‘at risk.?
Across Clarkston, most schools have a SCAMP coordinator who helps educate kids about the organization and coordinate efforts for those who want to help out.
This year, if the kids at Andersonville Elementary raise $3,500 for the walk, Steve Dickenson, a special education teacher in the learning resource center, will shave his head bald.
‘We’re getting pretty close, I’m a little worried,? he laughed. ‘It looks like we might have to have a little haircutting ceremony.?
Dickenson challenged the Andersonville kids two years ago and ended up bald after they raised over $4,000 to support SCAMP.
Last year, he said, the numbers fell a little short while his hair grew back.
‘I figured it was time to revive the deal,? he said.
Dickenson and Angela Comp, a third grade teacher at Andersonville, are the school’s SCAMP Walk and Roll coordinators.
While Comp doesn’t have any plans to shave her head, she has promised to show up at school with pink hair should the students meet the $3,500 challenge.
The school has a number of students who attend SCAMP, as well as those who have a SCAMPer sibling.
Dickenson said most kids at Andersonville and across the district accept and welcome peers challenged by a disability.
It’s a far cry from a generation ago, he noted, when separate education and misunderstanding led students like himself to form a ‘skewed perception? of those who struggled with various difficulties.
‘The inclusion philosophy in Clarkston allows kids to develop a nice empathy for kids with special needs,? he said. ‘They realize those kids may have special needs, but otherwise, they’re not so much different at all.?
As for the potential loss of his locks, Dickenson said, a promise is a promise.
‘I have mixed emotions,? he laughed. ‘I like my hair. But, I shaved it two years ago, and it was kind of nice, especially in the summer.?
Walk and Roll pledge sheets are available in the SCAMP office inside the Clarkston Schools Administration building at 6389 Clarkston Road. For more information, call 248-620-1882 or check out www.clarkstonscamp.com