ICAN, the California Abilities Network

Our mission is to serve people with disabilities and their families through employment, social, and respite opportunities. Our goal is to empower people with disabilities to discover and achieve their own "I CAN" statements.

ICAN runs a biweekly Saturday program to local area attractions, two annual summer camps, an annual winter camp at Disneyland, movie days, concerts, a dinner & auction, and much more!

In 1975, Pat Hammond, a teacher at a school for the physically handicapped, saw a need for increased relational support of and investment in persons with disabilities. So, Pat founded the organization Acampar with the intention of providing a recreational experience that was emotionally engaging, relationally meaningful, and spiritually uplifting. At that point, he ran a summer program facilitating 8 to 10 camps each year.

In 1980, Pat entrusted Acampar to Hope Chapel, where it became Special Ministries. Under the leadership of Howard Mayeda this ministry expanded to provide year around services including weekly Sunday school, weekend programs, and winter camps, in addition to already existing summer camps. Sixteen years later, when Howard left to pastor his own church, he handed over the ministry to Scott Elliott. Since that time, the ministry has continued to expand, working with youth and adults with developmental disabilities, as well as offering Saturday recreational programs.

In 2012, Special Ministries became ICAN, creating a vision that its clients would discover and achieve their owe “I CAN” statements. In December 2013, ICAN launched its supported employment services, a program designed to facilitate job placement and job coaching for individuals with disabilities in their local communities. In the coming months, ICAN plans to implement day programs for its clients as a way to continue its mission of supporting individuals with disabilities and their families. - See more at: http://icanla.net/our-story/#sthash.z8slBmsa.dpuf

ICAN has been serving the community for over 35 years. Our mission is to serve people with disabilities and their families through employment, social, and respite opportunities. Our goal is to empower people with disabilities to discover and achieve their own I CAN statement.

We do this by providing quality recreational, employment, empowerment, and socialization programs for Southern California's children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities in a way that meets the needs of the whole family. Through recreational and social events we provide all participants the opportunity to enjoy meaningful experiences and form fulfilling relationships.

We currently serve over 250 clients at our camps throughout the year. We offer both overnight and day camps for all ages. Each camp is full of fun and enriching activities that are memorable and impactful.

Our Bridge Saturday Program runs biweekly and is specifically designed for the social development and community integration. We engage in onsite activities such as sports, crafts, computer time, and cooking, as well as offsite activities in which we enjoy what the local community has to offer (e.g. musicals, zoos, museums, etc).

We also regularly provide day trips. These excursions to different Southern California attractions give parents and/or caregivers a well-deserved day off.