It was so wonderful to finally meet you in person. I cannot possibly begin to say how thankful I am to everyone at Camp Carton. All the counselors were great. he had the best week of his life. He said he liked it even better than a vacation. He has grown so much in so many ways and best of all, he has so much more confidence in himself.

 

This experience has been such a blessing for our family and we will be forever grateful.

 

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Dear Mr. Carton, My husband and I are so pleased that our son, participated in Camp Carton. Thank you for your vision, for your generosity, for making this wonderful camp happen. He loved it!!! Like many children with Tourette Syndrome, suffers from bouts of extreme anxiety. The prospect of going off on his own, without his parents attending to his needs, filled him with dread. Panic attacks ensued. The only way he agreed to go was with the understanding that he could leave on Wednesday, if that's what he really wanted. When he called us on Wednesday, determined to leave, we felt obligated to honor our agreement. We were about to pick him up when we got the surprise phone call from.

She told us the unbelievable news that you had spoken with him and had convinced him to stay. We are so grateful. That conversation was pivotal. As a result, he let go of his fears and thoroughly enjoyed camp. When we picked him up on Sunday, we saw a delighted child who didn't want to leave. He spent much of the car ride home sharing some of the funny experiences and reciting the antics of the camp counselors. I believe that I am seeing positive changes at home too. He seems more confident and more focused in the moment. You, and the camp, have been a source of wonder and inspiration.

We are truly thankful.

Warmest regards,

 

Hi Craig,

 

It's _____, ____'s mom.  You asked me to email you to arrange for ____to come to the station when you have your Steeler show.  He is so excited, he's practically been walking on air since Tuesday!  You have been so kind and generous to us, I really can't thank you enough for all that you and the Tic Toc Stop Foundation has done and continues to do for him and all the kids.  You are an inspiration to them all, and I can speak from my own experience when I say what a difference you have made in my son.  Having someone like you in his corner is life-changing.  The talk you gave the kids and the encouragement you show them really hits home and empowers them to believe in themselves.

 

He was diagnosed in first grade and since then this tics have steadily gotten more noticeable and are now causing him to have difficulties physically, academically, and socially.  He is going into middle school this year, which is a challenge for even typically developing kids, let alone a child with TS.  The experiences you have provided will go a long way in boosting his confidence and self-esteem when dealing with the social difficulties that come with Tourertte's.  

 

He has been working hard to raise awareness in our community and seeing your efforts only bolsters the drive in him to continue on his lifelong journey of advocacy.   We would like to be more involved with your foundation. 

 

Thanks again for everything Craig, it was great to finally meet you at the All-Star game...we had soooo much fun!!!  Hopefully we'll be seeing you again soon.  

 

Warm regards,

 

 

Hi Craig,

 

We just wanted to thank you and your organization for allowing ___ to attend the inaugural year of Camp Carton.  He had an amazing experience this past week! In addition to his TS, ___ suffers from anxiety and the fact that was able to stay away from home was a blessing.  He has has never slept away from home without us other than his grandparents, not even at a friend's house.  He learned to have some independence and we have noticed some significant changes in him already.  He has talked non-stop about the friends he made and the experiences made available to him, such as the high-rope climb.  The volunteers you had were all wonderful.  I had the pleasure of meeting Aly, his counselor and Cliff, who gave us the tour on pick-up day. Everyone was so welcoming and we felt very comfortable leaving him in their care.  I know ___ has aged out this year, but if it is possible, he would love to attend next year, even as a volunteer! You are doing great things for the TS community and we really appreciate it. We look forward to all you and Tic Toc Stop have to offer in the future.