Issue link: http://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/1113868
Steve Duncan couldn't believe his eyes. e Dadeville campus of Easter Seals Camp ASCCA on the banks of Lake Martin had been blown to smithereens by a direct hit from a massive EF4 tornado during the historic outbreak of deadly tornadoes pounding Alabama April 27, 2011. Duncan is a retired Birmingham residential real estate developer who had been told the camp likely couldn't be rebuilt, since hardly anything was le standing, and that it might be a suitable site for a discipleship ministry he and Dr. Chris Harmon, a Birmingham dermatologist, wanted to start. Camp ASCCA (Alabama's Special Camp for Children and Adults) provided camping experiences for people with disabilities at both the Dadeville campus that was destroyed and its main headquarters in nearby Jackson's Gap. "When I got there, I couldn't even get out of the truck because of the devastation," Duncan said of his first visit a few days aer the tornado. "But Chris said, 'Let's get out of the truck and see what it will take to make this work.'" Trees and debris were everywhere. All but two structures of the camp were destroyed. e devastation has since been slowly cleared and the camp rebuilt as New Water Farms. e 23-acre working farm and event center serves as a setting to teach medical and agriculture missions training, for marriage retreats, Bible studies and worship gatherings. Orchards produce blackberries, blueberries and other fruit that are made into jellies and jams, which are sold to help sustain the facility. Artisanship activities are taught, such as blacksmithing, glass-blowing and woodworking. "None of this would have been possible without Chris Harmon's vision and support," Duncan said. But the reconstructed camp is much more than a ministry looking to get back to the land. Duncan said the goal is to reach out to the community by offering New Water's facilities for weddings, high school proms, corporate meetings and other nonreligious events. "We don't want to be one-dimensional," said Duncan, who is on the board of directors and lives next to the property with his wife. "We want others to utilize it." 25 www.apcshorelines.com