Featured Licensees
From time to time, Camp MakeBelieve Kids would like to honor those owners of the CMB Kids license who we feel are doing wonderful things helping children.
Renee M. Kadlubek
Renee M. Kadlubek has been a member of the Camp MakeBelieve team since October of 2002. Renee first began as a shy research assistant and is now coordinates programming. Renee has been instrumental in developing and implementing the CMB program evaluation, creating the instruments used for evaluation, writing many parts of the training manuals as well as supervising the psychology, education and counseling interns from UNLV.
Renee earned her B.A. in Psychology and her Ed.S. in School Psychology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She received her M.A. in School Psychology from Tufts University in Boston. Renee is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP), and has been working as a school psychologist for the Clark County School District since August of 2004.
For the last five years, Renee has also been working towards completing a dual degree (Ph.D./J.D.) in Educational Psychology and Law and is expected to graduate, Spring, 2011. She is also serves as Lt. Governor of Mental Health Programs; ABA Law Student’s Division, 14th Circuit. Renee’s main research interests include school based mental health services, autism spectrum disorders, and legal issues in special education and mental health. Renee is an Autism Consultant for the CCSD Special Services Division.
It is Renee’s belief that it is just as important for students of all ages to have good social, emotional, and behavioral skills as it is for students to have good academic skills. Her hope is that future national, state, and local policies reflect this sentiment, and provide for such services with awesome, innovative programs, like Camp MakeBelieve Kids, that help teach such skills.
Tiffany LaCombe 
Tiffany LaCombe, 2003 graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, earned a dual Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education, a Master’s Degree in Literacy Instruction; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; 2008. An experienced teacher for the Clark County School District, the 5th largest school district in the nation; she has taught 4th and 5th grade special education and currently, teaches 6th grade Reading to a very fun group of children. Tiffany became interested in the Camp MakeBelieve Kids program when, as a teenager, she was asked to help with a Pre-Teen Esteem group as Junior Counselor.
Tiffany really believes in the program and knows that learning strategies to deal with the ongoing drama that goes on at school is very important, whether it’s happening to you at the time or not.
Kids need tools ahead of time so they are prepared, when kids really need it. As a teacher of middle school students, she has witnessed too many times as teens threaten suicide for attention, and brag about their self-destructive behavior. She is keenly aware that kids need ongoing social and emotional learning skills that teach them appropriate ways to express their feelings, especially during a “teen” crisis.
Tiffany not only facilitates her own CMB Kids SEL program at the Las Vegas Indoor Soccer Park, but she uses many aspects of the program as part of her core Reading Literacy classes. She was instrumental as a consultant for aligning the CMB Kids SEL program with Nevada Reading Literacy Standards and Benchmarks. She also teaches social and emotional learning through the Las Vegas After-School All Stars as a Licensed Camp MakeBelieve Kids Counselor. Tiffany’s empathy and warm sense of humor make her very approachable to her students, accepting each child where they are at, but always encouraging them to excel, at reading--and in life. 
Andrew Devitt
Andrew Devitt, 22 year old college student at UNLV, is in the process of completing his business degree. Andrew, entrepreneur and Autism Child Specialist, has dazzled the Southern Nevada Autism Community with his dedication to helping children on the spectrum be all that they can be. He was 17 years old when his God Sister, a home program therapist, introduced him into the world of working with children diagnosed with Autism. She encouraged him to apply for a position to become trained as an ABA therapist (Applied Behavioral Analysis). Since then, Andrew has been hooked. He quickly realized as an adolescent, that he had a gift to offer these children by showing them how to be themselves, yet behave in a socially appropriate manner. He continued to study successful technques to use with the kids.
This past year, Andrew developed a business called, Skate Social, that teaches adaptive skateboarding lessons to children, teens and some adults on the spectrum and with other neurological disorders. He has helped many children in the Las Vegas Community overcome their fear of sports, gain confidence, get in shape and have fun learning to skateboard. He always laughs out loud when he thinks of his socially awkward students as they begin coming out of their shells, dress more stylish and talk non-stop about skateboard trivia.
Andrew noticed that something was missing from the lives of the kids he taught. Even thought they were more eager to reach out to peers, and were more accepted, they continued to have issues with expressing feelings, getting in people’s space and get through a conflict (esp when a peer breaks the rules). When he discovered CMB Kids social emotional learning program he realized immediately that this was exactly what his kids needed. He has worked diligently to learn the Camp MakeBelieve Kids program and now teaches these classes. His vision is to become a Licensed Camp MakeBelieve Kids Counselor and use this program to supplement his already existing, Skate Social business. He plans to own a piece of property, build his own skate board park, and run a combination program of social and emotional after school classes and skateboarding.
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