President, Camp COOL

Words by Karen McCain | Images by Justin Hunter

Scripture calls believers to care for others. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

For Brittney Henson, that call to serve others became personal when she was just 12 years old.

Her aunt, Sandra Barth, invited Brittney, her mother, Wanda McLain, and her brother, Ben McLain, to volunteer at Camp Skamp, a Florida camp serving children and young adults with special needs. The name stands for “Special Kids and Meaningful People,” and Brittney’s cousin Ty, who has cerebral palsy, was among its campers.

Brittney first attended Camp Skamp in 1998, and the experience quickly became an important part of her life. Over the next several years, she encouraged more friends and family members to make the trip with her. Before long, the original group had grown enough to fill two carloads.

“I was so humbled by the experience that I invited everyone I knew to be part of this fantastic camp,” Brittney says.

With each return to Camp Skamp, Brittney became more involved. She progressed from junior counselor to staff member and eventually joined the camp’s board. Along the way, conversations with her aunt planted the seed for something bigger.

Sandra often told Brittney that she could never move back to Alabama because there was no comparable program there for Ty. Brittney never forgot those words.

“I remember thinking, ‘I will fix that,’” she says.

By 2013, she was ready to try.

Now married to Curt, Brittney told him and her mother that the time had come to turn the idea she had carried for years into reality. From that decision, Children Overcoming Obstacles through Love—better known as Camp COOL—was born.

Brittney assembled a board of directors, recruited volunteers, and organized fundraisers to build the new program from the ground up. Today, Camp COOL serves individuals ages 6 through 21 with cerebral palsy or spina bifida, providing families in Alabama the kind of experience Brittney once had to travel to Florida to find.

Since its founding, Brittney has remained deeply involved in the camp’s work. She leads by example, never asking someone else to take on a responsibility she would not be willing to handle herself. She says that hands-on commitment is inseparable from the faith that first shaped her desire to serve.

“I just want to be the hands and feet of Jesus.”

Camp COOL is only one part of an already full life. Brittney works full-time as a speech therapist in the Jasper City School System, and she and Curt are raising three active children: 7-year-old Rylan and 5-year-old twins Anna and Ella.

Still, year after year, she devotes her time, energy, and professional experience to Camp COOL and the families it serves.

Although Sandra and Ty have not returned to Alabama, their influence remains woven throughout the program Brittney created. A conversation about what was missing became the motivation to build something new—something that now gives children and families closer to home the opportunity to connect, receive encouragement, and feel a sense of belonging. 78