Support local, quality recreational services for youth with autism in our region at our annual camp-themed benefit.

Emily and Keenan Stump

Keenan and Emily Stump have been married for 12 years and recently welcomed their son, Cameron, to the family in August of 2018.  Emily is a graduate of Kansas State University and a registered nurse in Labor and Delivery at Centerpoint Medical Center.  Keenan is a speech pathologist and the owner of New Balloon Therapy Services.  The Stumps’ relationship with Camp Encourage began a decade ago, when Keenan would bring his guitar to camp and sing with campers around the fire.  In 2014, Keenan was finishing his PhD and working with children with autism and their families in their homes when he had a crazy idea: What if these wonderful families had a way to share their funniest stories with others in the form of stand-up comedy?  That crazy idea refused to leave Keenan’s imagination and began generating enough interest that An Evening With The ‘Rents was born.  Keenan envisioned the event as a fundraiser from the start and Camp Encourage presented as the perfect match for such a joyful and family-focused event.  In 2016, Keenan was awarded the Avant Garde Award for Innovation in Fundraising for EWTR.  The event has raised more than 56K for Camp Encourage since that first year and will next occur at Kansas City’s beautiful Folly Theater in March of 2020.

Keenan, Emily, and Cam are so proud and humbled to be honored by Camp Encourage as honorary co-chairs and wish for nothing more than for Camp Encourage to continue to support children’s happiness and the knowledge that every person’s life deserves to be filled with joy and laughter.

Logan O'Brien

Logan will be a junior in the fall at Savannah High School in Savannah, Missouri. He is 17 and loves anything that involves technology. He is a year book and chess club member, enjoys swimming, video gaming and board games.

There are so many reasons Camp Encourage means so much to him. Here are just a few:

• I'm allowed to be who I am at Camp Encourage. Different is okay!
• Swimming! The pool is my happy place.
• Friends. Socializing with teenagers similar to me.
• Camp fires with songs, a carnival (where I learned to juggle), and tie dying!
• The food is good! It is delicious! There are many different varieties and I can choose what I want.
• I like the bunk beds. They are really comfortable and we can talk about video games together while in our bunks.

Each year at S'mores & Pours, Camp Encourage honors someone special in our community that exemplifies that which we believe is essential when supporting individuals with autism spectrum disorder. We are delighted to announce that this year's very deserving Honorary Encourage Leader is Dr. Jena Randolph. Our community is fortunate to have her knowledge and her heart.