Latham Springs welcomes 110 special-needs teens

Posted: 9/30/05

Latham Springs welcomes 110 special-needs teens

By Ken Camp

Managing Editor

AQUILLA–When Hurricane Rita threatened the Texas Gulf Coast, a Baptist encampment in Central Texas opened its facilities to 110 special-needs adolescents from a Houston-area residential treatment facility.

Latham Springs Baptist Encampment provided housing and meals for the teenagers–some emotionally disturbed or mentally ill and some struggling with chemical dependency–from the Devereux treatment center in League City, between Houston and Galveston, along with 150 staff and their families.

“We also brought 15 pets–dogs, cats and rabbits,” said Gail Atkinson, executive director of Devereux-League City. “We drew the line when somebody showed up with four horses in a three-horse trailer.”

The group arrived in a 40-vehicle caravan that included four buses and assorted cars, trucks and vans, as well as a mobile pharmacy.

“It took us 15 hours to make what would normally be a four-and-a-half-hour drive,” said Jeff Kennedy of the Devereux staff. Bumper-to-bumper traffic snarled Interstate 45 from Houston to Dallas for nearly two days when more than 2.5 million people evacuated cities along the coast. Camp Director Jerry Smith worked through the night, preparing for the group's arrival soon after daybreak Sept. 23.

“We had to cancel retreats scheduled for the weekend and make other arrangements because this is a priority ministry we felt like we needed to do,” Smith said. “We wanted to show these kids somebody loves them.”

Volunteers came forward to help staff the facility and meet the special needs of the young people from the treatment center. For instance, plastic utensils had to be secured for the dining room because the troubled adolescents could not be trusted with silverware, and staff had to remove mops and brooms from cabins to prevent the teenagers from hurting themselves or other people.

“These are all kids with mental-health issues,” Atkinson said. “I don't know what we would have done without Latham Springs. It's not just every place that would be willing to take on a group this large–particularly a group like this.”

Latham Springs actually prepared for twice the number that arrived. Initially, the camp was ready to receive clients from Devereux's Victoria campus, but officials lifted the emergency evacuation order for that area before the group left South Texas.

In addition to the mental and emotional challenges faced by the residents, some of them also are “medically fragile kids,” Atkinson said. The group included deaf, visually impaired and wheelchair-bound teenagers, as well as residents who suffer from medical conditions ranging from HIV/AIDS to sickle-cell anemia and diabetes.

“Because of our clientele, they have special needs as far as comfort and privacy are concerned,” Atkinson said. “The people here at Latham Springs have done everything imaginable to accommodate us.

“We give our kids a lot of nurture and special attention, but they're not always accustomed to getting that from other people.”

Pam Helm, associate director at Devereux, pointed out the teens took notice of the hospitality Baptist volunteers offered them.

“They know we are paid for what we do. But they want to know why these people are doing this for them,” she said. “It just blows them away.”