by: Zacc Dukowitz
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Balsam, North Carolina, June 4, 2021—After taking a summer off due to COVID-19, SOAR ADHD Summer Camp will be kicking off its biggest summer yet in 2021 with a six-time student returning as a staff member.
“SOAR taught me tools and strategies to succeed as a friend, as a student, and as a leader,” says Harry Oakes-Kroeplin, who has attended six summer sessions with SOAR and graduated from SOAR’s boarding school, the Academy at SOAR. Oakes-Kroeplin will be returning this summer to work as a counselor for the first time. “Being in the outdoors in the SOAR program environment has changed my life as someone with ADHD and anxiety and allowed me to thrive, thoroughly changing my life for the better.”
SOAR is a non-profit program that offers outdoor adventure summer experiences for ADHD and LD students to help them learn the skills needed for them to thrive, both in school and in their personal lives. During the pandemic, SOAR has dedicated itself to providing resources to families online, including a list of vetted remote ADHD coaches and ongoing webinars on various ADHD topics.
In his time at SOAR, Oakes-Kroeplin attended sessions at several different locations, taking part in activities like whitewater rafting, caving, and rock climbing in North Carolina, horse packing, canoeing, and hiking in Wyoming, and learning Spanish in Peru. He is currently a college student at Warren Wilson College, where he is pursuing a double major in Political Science and Outdoor Leadership.
“SOAR didn’t instantaneously change my life in those eighteen days [my first summer],” Oakes-Kroeplin went on to say, “but it was the biggest step forward in coping with my ADHD and anxiety I had taken thus far.”
SOAR’s unique approach to helping students with ADHD has earned it recognition from places as diverse as Outside Magazine and ADDitude Magazine. The organization has been open for 45 years, offering not only a summer camp but also a GAP Year program and a school year Academy for students with ADHD and other learning disabilities.
“Having Harry come back as a counselor this summer underscores the importance of our mission at SOAR to help people with ADHD live a full and balanced life,” says John Wilson, Executive Director of SOAR. “He has reaped the benefits of outdoor adventure education, and now he wants to help give those same benefits to other young people. We couldn’t be more excited to have him back.”
Learn more about SOAR ADHD Camp.
A picture of Harry Oakes-Kroeplin taken while attending SOAR’s ADHD Summer Camp
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About SOAR
SOAR offers an accredited ADHD Outdoor Adventure Summer Camp, Boarding School, and GAP Year Program. It serves youth and young adults with ADHD and other Learning Disabilities in North Carolina, Wyoming, California, Florida, and at various other international locations. SOAR’s outdoor adventure-based programs provide academic instruction, experiential education, and life skills development for youth and young adults ages 8-24. Created in 1977 by an adult with learning disabilities, SOAR provides fun and successful outdoor experiences so that participants may gain greater awareness of their own strengths and improve self-esteem and confidence.
More information: https://soarnc1.wpengine.com/
Contact: brittney@soarnc.org