Over the 2007 summer I heard from some of my friends, including David Hayashi, that a volunteer camp allowed teens to work side by side with children with special needs. I gave it some thought and decided that I desperately needed the service hours if I was going to stay in NHS this year, so I went to the Webster Groves Sports Complex at 8:00 am on a beautiful Monday morning, wishing that I was still in bed. What I experienced at Camp Independence will stay with me for the rest of my life. The children with special needs were victims of cerebral palsy, a condition that causes poor to non-existent motor skills, severe balance problems, and in extreme cases a complete loss of the ability to communicate except through special hand signals. The kids that I was in charge of, however, were some of the best and brightest people I have ever met. A girl named April had never gotten a grade lower that a B+, and she was taking many college level courses at the age of 15. Many other unique and wonderful stories about these children emerged throughout the week, and I began to realize what a fantastic place this camp was for these victims of a severe disease.

          Camp Independence gave victims of cerebral palsy, or CP, one of the greatest gifts that could be given to them: The full respect and trust of the leaders, and the removed thoughts that they were to weak or disabled to work at something, whether it be sports, or just getting out of a chair and standing up. The head counselor, Jennifer, once said to the leaders,

          “Yeah, we could just let them relax and talk, but they want to be challenged instead of feeling helpless as they usual do. So today we’re gonna do martial arts and then swimming, kay?”

          Of course that was okay, in fact it was great. The counselors had as much fun with the kids as they did with us. Whether it was playing soccer, practicing martial arts, or swimming in the Webster Groves pool, the kids would be building self-confidence in a safe, challenging, and fun environment. The team of counselors really helped the kids fight through the pain of not being able to fully control their limbs, and the kids succeeded! By the end of the week all of the campers had improved in some medical way, either by more flexibility in a certain part of the body, or their social skills had been nurtured, the kids left content and focused on some of their goals in life.

          Overall, the Camp Independence Program, which has been running for the past 13 years, has helped hundreds of children gain confidence, stability, and the ability to stand up and fight the “helpless” feeling some victims of CP usually experience. Next summer, when I realize what a beautiful Monday morning it is, hopefully I will be with the victims of CP at Camp Independence, having fun, laughing and creating friendships along the way.