Youth Caregiver Researcher Joins Camp Corral Research Advisory Panel

RALEIGH, N.C., July 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Camp Corral, a leading provider of support, advocacy, and enrichment opportunities for the children and families of this nation's wounded, ill, and fallen military heroes, is honored to announce Melinda S. Kavanaugh, PhD, LCSW has joined the Camp Corral Research Advisory Panel as its inaugural Advisor. The work of the Research Advisory Panel informs Camp Corral's advocacy efforts for the children of wounded warriors and helps bridge the gaps in data-driven understanding of the very real hardships faced by these children and their families.

"Dr. Kavanaugh brings with her an extensive background of research regarding youth as caregivers. This experience, as well as her advocacy for the mental health needs of these youth, will be a tremendous asset to the multi-disciplinary advisory group as they work to help Camp Corral proactively support children of wounded warriors," said Camp Corral Chief Program Officer, Hannah Hutler-Boyd. "This panel of experts provides recommendations and guidance related to research topics, instrumentation, and data collection methodology which will help drive the growth of Camp Corral's resilience-focused programming."

Since its inception as a national non-profit organization in 2011, Camp Corral has served nearly 29,000 children from every state in the nation with resilience-based programs focused upon the unique attributes and challenges shared by military-connected children across the country, many of whom serve as caregivers in their households.

Dr. Kavanaugh developed an evidence-based intervention for youth caregivers, "YCare", which is a multidisciplinary youth caregiving skills and support protocol for youth in families where a family member has neurological disorders. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Associate Professor in Social Work at the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She was previously the social worker at the Huntington Disease Society of America Center of Excellence at Washington University in St. Louis, which informed her applied research on children and youth in neurological disorders.

She has presented her work both nationally and internationally, and has written several books for children, young adults, and families living with ALS. "We are excited to bring this heightened level of professional expertise to our research team because we know that with it we increase our abilities to offer pinpoint programming that meets the specific needs of the children and families we support through our camp, advocacy, and enrichment programs," said Boyd.

For more information on the Camp Corral Research Advisory Panel contact Chief Impact Officer, Hannah Hutler-Boyd at [email protected].

Camp Corral is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to transform the lives of children of this nation's wounded, ill, and fallen military heroes. For more information, visit www.campcorral.org.

Media Contact:

Anthony Popiel
Dalton Agency
[email protected]
404-876-1309

Related Files

Dr Kavanaugh_Research Advisory_Press Release Final.pdf

Summer Camp Outcomes & Research Report.pdf

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SOURCE Camp Corral