BATAVIA TOWNSHIP — Hope is the four-letter word that has been the buzz word for 2020 and moving into 2021 for Stepping Stones’ Camp Allyn, said Recreation and Leisure Director Karen Martin.

What You Need To Know

  • Duke Energy Foundation grant will be used for new camping and hands-on nature experiences at Camp Allyn

  • Batavia Township camp serves those in Clermont County with developmental disabilities

  • COVID-19 has changed how Stepping Stones has operated in 2020

 

Walking along the path at the Lake Allyn campus, 1414 Lake Allyn Road in Batavia, two deer run past on the grassy hill above the archery spot — along the trail where, at the end, a brand-new nature garden will be located.

Nearby, a hawk is perched on a fence post near one of three ponds at the camp, just below where a new yurt will be built in 2021.

Both of these two projects are thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation.

Stepping Stones’ 47-acre camp, which serves adults and children with developmental disabilities year-round, was one of nearly two dozen groups in Ohio and Kentucky that recently received environmental grants.

The organization’s dedication to environmental education and experience is the reason that they were awarded this grant, said Tiffany Dennison, a Duke Energy leadership representative.

“Our foundation is how we're able to give our philanthropic support. We’re able to address some of the needs of our community where our customers live and work,” Dennison said. "We have a long-term history of partnering with organizations to do environmental education and sustainability.

"So, when we look at Camp Allyn and what they're doing to provide for the community for special-needs individuals and the education that they provide … if you think about having first-hand learning activities, to learn about the environment and sustainability and wildlife resources, it really falls in with our environmental grants that we give out,” she said.  

Celebrating its 100th year, Clermont County’s Camp Allyn is supported by the Rotary Club, and provides weekend respite care for clients and their families.

The camp also provides weeklong programs and day programs year-round, amid three ponds for fishing and boating, a pool, a trail, an amphitheater, cabins, a miniature golf course, and several sensory apparatuses throughout the camp for those with autism.

This year, however, facing the challenge of COVID-19 and running at about a third of their normal capacity, they have had to get creative and lean on hope, Martin said.

“We’re still living on some more hope of change, but still grateful to be serving,” she said. 

One thing that has suffered, she continued, is serving fewer clients with disabilities than in years past — specifically giving them much-needed socialization.

Not being able to socialize with their friends and make those connections has had a big impact on the clients who look forward to going to Camp Allyn, she said.

During non-pandemic times, they welcome approximately 175 clients at their adult day program.

But because of safety concerns with the virus, they have had to modify their operations and limit the number of campers on the grounds and break them into smaller groups — as well as take safety measures, like sanitizing hands, taking temperatures and social distancing.

In addition, any clients with personal care needs were not able to attend during the pandemic, because staff could not get close enough to them to assist them with mandated social distancing.

But with a New Year on the horizon, Martin said, they are instilling that four-letter word to everyone on staff and their clients alike: Hope. 

And with the grant, they will start building the new hands-on learning nature garden and yurt in January, giving them all something to look forward to post-COVID.

"When someone's part of something here, they're part of our community. And so they have pride and ownership and they reflect upon it,” Martin said about the garden that will allow clients to plant flowers and plants in an effort to learn more about nature and the environment.

The Duke Energy Foundation funded $2 million in grants to local communities in Ohio and Kentucky in 2020 and invested more than $200,000 in projects that help preserve and enhance southwest Ohio’s and Northern Kentucky’s natural resources, said Sally Thelen, spokeswoman for Duke Energy.

“These grants provide much-needed support to programs and organizations that are protecting the natural resources that our communities depend on,” said Amy Spiller, Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky president. “We value our community partners knowing that our contribution is helping ensure these treasures will be enjoyed for many years to come.”

In addition to Stepping Stones, other Ohio and Kentucky Duke Energy Foundation grant recipients included:

  • Deerfield Township – Restoration of habitat at Kingswood Park, $5,000
  • Girl Scouts of Western Ohio – Create conservation station at Camp Whip Poor Will, $10,000
  • Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District – Support urban reforestation initiative at Cooper Creek, $27,249
  • MetroParks of Butler County – Wetland habitat restoration project at Elk Creek Metro Park, $5,000
  • Mill Creek Alliance – Training and experience for Blue Team members to assist in future job placement, $10,000
  • Ohio River Foundation – Interactive website development to assist work on invasive species and removal work at area parks, $5,000
  • Boy Scouts of America – Dan Beard Council – Support ecology and conservation programs for learning purposes, $5,000
  • Cincinnati Park Foundation – Remove invasive botanical species from Cincinnati neighborhood parks, $15,000
  • City of Fairfield – Reforestation project in area, $5,000
  • City of Monroe – Install rain garden to help control damaging stormwater runoff onto properties adjacent to the park, $5,000
  • Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati – Training for Treeforestation Ambassadors, $5,000
  • Clermont SWCD – Retrofit wetland to provide water quality treatment at East Fork Little
  • Miami River, $30,000
  • Taking Root – Provide 240 trees for residents to plant as part of the Energy Saving Trees Program, $5,000
  • Great Parks Forever – Finalizing the design of the Sharon Lake Improvement Project, $20,000
  • Boone County Conservation District – Forest Health Assessment Project, $5,000
  • Boone County Fiscal Court – Program to improve awareness  about natural resources in the fast-growing community, $10,000
  • Thomas More University – Support Ohio River Biology Field Station for water quality studies, $10,000

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support for those who live and work in Duke Energy's communities, and has contributed more than $30 million annually in charitable gifts, and is funded by Duke Energy shareholder dollars, Thelen said.