Meeting with American Camp Association President

UPDATE: Meow Meow Foundation principals Doug Forbes and Elena Matyas have since learned that American Camp Association President Tom Rosenberg lied about his knowledge of Roxie Forbes’ death and subsequent efforts of the ACA to assist Summerkids, the camp that ended Roxie’s life under deeply disturbing circumstances. Rosenberg repeatedly called the ACA an “educational organization” when, in fact, the ACA is and has been an aggressive camp lobby group since the 1970s, responsible for defeating a multitude of vital camp safety regulations. The Foundation will not support the ACA at this time.

Meow Meow Foundation principals Doug Forbes and Elena Matyas met with American Camp Association (ACA) Tom Rosenberg on September 3 to discuss support for California day camp licensing legislation.

Rosenberg said he has supported past attempts at legislation and would support the MMF effort. He referred Forbes and Matyas to longtime Sacramento lobbyist Cathy Barankin, an advocate of child health and safety measures for four decades.

Barankin has been the Executive Director of the California Coalition for Children’s Safety and Health (CCCSH) since 1993. She has previously worked on the Pool Safety Act and continues to engage camps and recreational organizations statewide.

Rosenberg said that he believes the state’s ACA-accredited camps would likely support the forthcoming legislation. He is a past national treasurer and board member of the ACA as well as a past board president and treasurer of ACA Southeastern. He graduated with distinction from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California with an MBA and from the AB Freeman School of Business at Tulane University with a BS in Management.

Go here for more on the ACA.