About Us
Our goal is to provide an inclusive, positive and fun atmosphere that encourages bonding between Deaf and KODA kids.
Bridging Hands Camps
Our Mission
Bridging Hands Camps, Inc. provides day and overnight camp experiences for deaf/hard of hearing children, and children of deaf adults. Our camps promote communication access and positive interactions between various groups within the diverse, multicultural, and multilingual deaf community.
Our Staff
Camp counselors are a combination of Deaf and CODA counselors, campground staff, and interpreters. The counselors running our camp are motivated to educate youth in the outdoors. They create experiences that provide the backdrop for individual and team development through the use of high adventure, environmental and team building activities.
Camp Director
Lee Trevathan is from Washington, DC and is looking forward to working more with Bridging Hands Camp. He is currently a stay-at-home dad and is very involved in after school activities with his daughter and her friends. Lee loves everything outdoors including hiking, swimming and boat riding. His favorite thing to do is spending the day at the beach.
Our Board
Amy Crumrine
President
Amy is a teacher for the deaf and an ASL teacher for Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. She is also a therapist who works with deaf clients across the state. Amy’s passion lies within the teenage field and within the Cued Speech community by providing support to and education to those about this unique opportunity-both deaf and hearing. Amy founded Maryland KODA in 1998 and the National KODA Family Conference in 2000. Amy majored in deaf studies at Rochester Institute of Technology, studied social work at NTID and obtained her Masters degrees from Rochester Institute of Technology and Gallaudet University. She and her husband, Roy, have two adult CODAs.
Debby Patkin
Vice President
Debby is a civil rights attorney dedicated to protecting the rights of deaf and hard of hearing Americans to access education, entertainment, social services, banking and all other aspects of society. In her pursuit to optimize deaf education, she also serves on school boards. When she’s not fighting in court, she can be found mediating between her two young KODAs or rooting for her beloved Boston sports teams.
Krista Epps
Secretary
Krista has experience working in the mental health field for several years before switching careers to work in the legal field. She has a B.S. in Psychology from Rochester Institute of Technology and an M.A. in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University. She is a member of Deaf Women United organization. Krista enjoys traveling and spending quality time with her two young KODAs and husband.
Charles “Pike” Sterling
Treasurer
Charles Sterling grew up mostly of his life in Silver Spring, MD. He went to mainstream school then Maryland School for the Deaf for high school years then went to RIT for BS and MBA. He is a member of a deaf family with a deaf wife and 2 deaf boys. He lives in Fairfax, VA. He works as a tax accountant for DeafTax and as an investment advisor for DeafInvest. Charles spent many summers at camps and he wants his kids to have camp experiences.
Niki Warman
Fundraising Chair
Niki hails from the Bay Area and now is a scheduling coordinator for Keystone Interpreting Solutions of MD (KIS of MD). Niki and her two KODA boys love meeting with other KODA families for play dates. Friends who know her often put up with her passion for the San Francisco Giants. Niki tries to do at least 3 road games each year and cheer for her favorite team. She is a proud alumni of Gallaudet University. She is also involved with DMVKODA as she feels it’s very important to balance younger and older KODAS and provide events to meet their needs.
Joan Corley
PR/Communications
Joan is Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity (DEO) Specialist at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Reston, VA. She has a B.A. in Theater Arts from Gallaudet University. She is a member of Northern Virginia Association of the Deaf (NVAD) and Virginia Association of the Deaf (VAD). Joan enjoys traveling and having quality time with her CODA son.
Michelle Vore
Deaf Liaison
Michelle was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She graduated from RIT in 2006 and is a proud Tiger alum. She enjoys reminders of the cold Michigan and New York winters by going to her boys hockey games. Other than watching hockey, during her personal time she enjoys volunteering, native gardening, reading books and hiking with her husband and children.