A Camp Just for Them
After losing the majority of her right leg, young Whitney Hemphill and her parents knew that things were going to change. Unfortunately, though, some things remain the same–in this case, the cruelty of children. As Whitney was attending a church camp, a group of children stole her prosthetic leg while she was in the shower, leaving her stuck there feeling embarrassed and alienated among her peers. Not surprisingly, Whitney did not want to return.
Her parents, always being supportive and looking for outlets that would be accessible for Whitney, encouraged her to try a new camp. She was understandably reluctant to give another one a shot, but her mother told her that they had found a camp just for her. It turns out that she found an Amputee Coalition of America camp, located in Clarksville, Ohio.
The camp, named the “Paddy Rossbach Youth Camp seeks to provide children with amputation or limb differences a sense of independence and support,” camp director Derrick Stowell said. After some mild convincing, Whitney realized that this particular camp would be a great opportunity to meet and socialize with a bunch of other kids her age who were going through the same things.
With the ACA covering all camp and airfare costs, the kids and their families can rest easy knowing that their child has a place just for them. The list of camp activities is really limitless, too, and campers are free to try anything. Camp director Stowell mentions that a girl attending the camp wanted to play tennis, but wasn’t sure how she would be able to since she had no arms. “‘Why don’t you just go try to play?” he told her. Sure enough, she figured out a way to play tennis and is now a member of her school’s tennis team.
Many other children share in that girl’s experience of having the barriers of a restrictive world stripped away when the people operating the camp truly believe in their potential. As for Whitney, she just can’t wait to go swimming with her new friends.
Programs such as this are immeasurably important. Children with disabilities need to experience an environment that’s built for them so that they can gain confidence in themselves and go about the rest of their lives comfortable with their condition. To have someone tell a girl with no arms to go give tennis a shot, or tell a girl who’s missing a leg to just dive into the pool, gives them incredible freedom and opens doors to a world where anything is possible.
To read the original article, please go to http://blog.al.com/live/2010/07/pre-teen_attends_amputee_camp.html
Thanks for sharing such a nice article. Its really refreshing.