Campers spend dream week at Camp Woz A chance for kids facing challenges to 'dream big' BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff Top to bottom: Monmouth Cares' staffers wave goodbye to a group of youths Aug. 16 as they head off to 'dream camp.' Campers board a bus during the first leg of their journey from West Long Branch to northern California where they will participate in 'Camp Woz' at the home of computer guru Steve Wozniak, founder of Apple Computer. A pair of youths wait to head off on their summer adventure. WEST LONG BRANCH - - A group of Monmouth County youths are experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime summer hiatus at a "dream camp" sponsored by computer guru Steve Wozniak. Ten teens and young adults with emotional and behavioral challenges, ages 14 to 20, who are mentored by Monmouth Cares Inc., West Long Branch, are participating in Camp Woz this week in the northern California hills. The campsite is the home of Wozniak, one of the developers of the personal computer and co-founder of Apple Computer Inc. "What we are hoping is to provide these kids with exposure to a different world," said Christine Snyder, a care manager supervisor at Monmouth Cares, in an interview last week. "We are creating the opportunity and giving them the idea that there are possibilities to learn skills for a job or maybe something that will become a hobby. "The idea is to spark an interest," Snyder added. The campers, along with four care managers at Monmouth Cares, a nurse and Snyder, left the Broadway parking lot of Monmouth Cares Aug. 16 for a five-day camp experience filled with endless opportunities, Snyder said. The campers, who attend the camp at no charge, were expected to return on Aug. 20. "These are all youngsters that we are working with," Snyder said. "This experience will make them aware of the possibilities in life that they will be able to further explore." Monmouth Cares, which works with families who have children with emotional and behavioral disorders, teamed up with the Joe's World Foundation to send the youths to Camp Woz. Joe's World, which coordinates and implements dream camp programs for young adults, was founded by Joe Patane, who coordinates the program. He is currently a care manager at Monmouth Cares. The first dream camp for Monmouth Cares youths will take place at Wozniak's Los Gatos home, where he and other professionals will introduce the campers to the basics of computers, music, art, video, karate, dance, acting, wellness and more, according to Snyder. Snyder explained that for the past two decades, Wozniak has been teaming up with the Los Gatos school system and opening his home to the students for computer camps. The dream of Monmouth Cares clients becoming involved with Wozniak's camp became a reality through the efforts of Patane, Snyder explained. "This will be our first-ever dream camp," Snyder said. "The idea for doing this came from Joe Patane. "It has been his life's dream to make this happen." Patane was a contractor at Apple Computer for several years before he became an assistant to Wozniak in his local summer computer camps for kids. With Wozniak's encouragement, Patane started Joe's World Foundation and has been running the program since 1999, according to the Joe's World Web site. One of the main goals of Camp Woz is to excite the youths about the possibilities in different areas they may not have otherwise had the opportunity to experience, according to a Monmouth Cares press release. Further, the aim is to encourage the youths to explore something that sparks their interest, according to the release. Monmouth Cares will follow up with the young men to ensure that they can continue to use what they learned at the camp in their homes, communities and ultimately share the experience with others, according to the release. "This camp is not just going to be in a classroom with Steve Wozniak," Snyder said. Camp activities will include video editing, cooking classes, introduction to filmmaking, Segway polo, animation class, ice skating, yoga and more, Snyder explained. Included in the packed itinerary for the five-day camp are lessons on iBooks, laptop computing, music recording, Web design, blogging and basic video editing. Campers will also be receiving their own personal laptop computers to take home, Snyder said. Monmouth Cares is planning to host more local dream camps starting this fall. "We kept the age group limited and we also limited this camp to just young men," Snyder said. "There will be other opportunities in the future. "We really want to empower these kids to dream big." Monmouth Cares' mission is to serve as a catalyst for positive change so that children with emotional and behavioral challenges, and their families, have the opportunity to live, thrive and develop, according to Kathy Maude, Monmouth Cares project manager. "The purpose of dream camp is to give these young people the chance to explore new opportunities not otherwise available to them," Maude said. "Thanks to benefactors like Steve Wozniak, we are able to reinforce these young people that nothing is beyond realization if they dream big." For more information on Monmouth Cares or the dream camp, contact Monmouth Cares Community Information Specialist Karen Kircher at (732) 222-8008, e-mail to Kkircher@monmouthcmo.org or visit www.monmouthresourcenet.org.