Camp URSA will be celebrating its fifth anniversary Sept. 20 with an open house from 2-3 p.m. The camp is located just 20 minutes northwest of Cochrane.
According to their website, Universal Rehabilitation Service Agency (URSA) is a Calgary-based, non-profit charitable agency that was established in 1985. Camp URSA is a safe, barrier free recreation facility that provides a relaxing and safe getaway for individuals with disabilities and their families and caregivers.
Natasha Roberts is the community relation’s manager for URSA. She said the camp is 100 per cent accessible for people with disabilities with lifts, elevators, paved paths and wheel chair ramps located all over the camp.
“I think it is really important to be able to have somewhere that everyone can go, everyone can just be themselves and people can do what they want to do, when they want to do it,” said Roberts. “It is somewhere where they can take their families as well and just be a family again.”
Roberts said that in addition to the camp, URSA also currently has 15 group homes around Calgary. She explained that one of the objectives of URSA is to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities in community settings.
“Our mission is to develop and provide opportunities to individuals with disabilities to attain a personal level of achievement and excellence in life,” she explained.
One of the programs that runs out of Camp URSA is called ‘Rehab on the Mountains’ where Roberts said they do a lot of big outings with their clients, such as ski trips, white water rafting and dog sledding. It is a program that Roberts described as being very close to their hearts.
“It is really about getting them back out there doing what they love to do before their injury,” she said. “We make sure that they have that opportunity to get out there and do it.”
According to Roberts, URSA clients who are in their group homes and part of their brain injury service programs, get two free weeks at Camp URSA, but they also do rent out the facility to other groups as well for $70 per night.
The open house will include hot dogs and chili by the fire, and there will also be presentations providing further information on URSA.
Everyone is welcome and more information about URSA can be found at ursa-rehab.com.
