ACA, Southwest Rising Star Award
2024 Shelli Campbell
This award is given to recognize individuals who are new to service in organized camping and the local area.
To qualify for nomination:
- The candidate must be a member of the American Camp Association.
- The candidate must be new to local service (less than 5 years).
- There is no age criteria for this award.
2024 ACA, Southwest Service Awards
Mircea Divricean
Dave Henessey
Ginger Pauley
Ocotillo Award
Traci Sherman
Steve Nelson
The Service Awards are given to recognize exceptional service to camping and the local area.
To qualify for nomination:
- The candidate must be a member of the ACA and served the Southwest area for not less than 5 years.
- The Sagebrush Award: For sustained outstanding service to the local field office area – over 5 years
- The Ocotillo Award: For sustained outstanding service to the local field office area – over 10 years
- The Sahuaro Award: For sustained outstanding service to the local field office area – over 20 years
ACA, Southwest Friends of Camping Award
This award is for members of the larger community - volunteers, public officials - who contribute to the field of organized camping on a short term or long-term basis.
To qualify for nomination:
- The candidate may be a non-member of ACA
- The award may be presented to an individual, a group of individuals or an organization or company.
ACA, Southwest Program Excellence and Innovation Award
2024 Camp Kostopulos/Kostopulos Dream Foundation
This award is given by ACA, Southwest to honor programs that develop effective, creative responses to the needs of a community and/or societal problems using the camp environment and to present the public examples of positive contributions camp can make to the well-being of individuals and society.
To qualify, camp programs will demonstrate one or more of the following:
- Understand and make use of inter-grouping - combining groups that have differences (e.g., physical abilities, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, religion, and home environment).
- Develop programs suited to the needs and interests of teenage campers.
- Broaden the range of services to persons with disabilities.
- Emphasize awareness of interpersonal relationships and development of interpersonal skills.
- Conduct innovative and effective staff-development programs.
- Offer support activities or leadership that significantly expands opportunities for human growth and enrichment through camping (for non-camp organizations)
- Program must have been in operation for at least one year (excluding planning and development time). ACA membership is not required for eligibility. Nominations will be judged on creativity and imaginative planning, relevance to the needs of participants; involvement of the target participants in the planning and implementation; adaptability and potential for replication; cooperative efforts with other organizations, agencies, or camps; and ability for the program to meet stated objectives.
ACA Southwest wishes to continue to recognize outstanding service to our local area. We plan to include recognition of outstanding camps and their programs and practices. Watch for information for nominations this fall.
Questions? Please contact Jared Knight, ACA, Southwest LCOL Chair or John Beitner, ACA Western Region Director