This post will be about my time volunteering for Variety Club's Adventure Camp. Adventure Camp is a camp for kids with intellectual and physical disabilities. I worked as a counselor and partnered with a camper for 2 weeks. Attending this camp was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I made a real connection with my camper that I will never forget. I actually wrote about the experience and I feel this essay best conveys my time at Adventure Camp. (Sorry if the wording sounds a bit peculiar-I was assigned to use specific vocabulary words!)
I
never expected that the in the first summer where I did not travel would be the
most prodigious and eye-opening
summer of my life. This past summer in 2014, my mother told me that I have too
much work to do this summer and would have to sacrifice vacation for a period
of service and preparations for college. Suddenly, I had an epiphany; if I was going to be stuck in
St. Louis all summer, I might as well find something entertaining as well as
helpful. I then set out to find volunteer work to keep me occupied.
Within the next week, I
found Variety, the Children’s Charity, a charity which focuses on the needs of
children with immutable mental and
physical disabilities. On their front page was an application for their summer
Adventure Camp that I promptly filled out and submitted. Next thing I knew, I
was at Richmond Height’s recreational center for training. After filling out
countless forms, I was ready to go!
The first day of camp was
extremely awkward; I was the new girl and it felt like all eyes were on me,
from the campers and the counselors. However, my reluctance began to relent as soon as I met my camper, Erica*.
She welcomed me with open arms like she had known me forever. Erica has a
neurodevelopmental disorder called Williams Syndrome and one symptom is an
unusually cheerful demeanor and ease with strangers. Erica is far from brash; she is easy to get along with
and, although very indecisive, will go along with anything. Unfortunately, due
to her constant complaisance, she became a target of one of the other campers.
He would always hector her. He knew
she was claustrophobic so he would
always try to push her into small places or block her from where she wanted to
go. She would be upset for only a moment, though, and soon she’d be back with
her merry disposition.
There was never a boring
day with Erica. One moment we were traveling up precipitous hills to play tennis,
the next we were recumbent, lying
down reading a Curious George book. However, some things never changed. At
least 3 or 4 times and hour, she would ask people to smell her hair or her
hands. Everyone knew to always respond with either ‘coconut’ or ‘rosemary.’ I
didn’t realize until the end of the first day that the smell she was obsessed
with was actually her hair spray! She loved that spray so much, she would put
it on every day in the morning and after she was done swimming. Among other things she loved was getting her hand scratched. If she was ever hesitant to do something, all you would have to do was offer to scratch her hand and she was fully on-board!
Erica is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met. Her kindness and big heart truly touched me in ways indescribable. Honestly, all the campers and counselors made me feel this way. It was such a loving community! I can't wait to go again.
*Name has been changed.
Well, that's my essay! Speaking of Adventure Camp, there is a Winter Camp coming up in about a week and I just signed up to be a counselor again! I am so pumped to be reunited with the campers' familiar faces.
You can find out more about the Variety Club here: https://www.varietystl.org/. I recommended to all students in Saint Louis!
.JPG)
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