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I've got my first teaching job at Brockport
and I realized that my students
would never ever learn
how to teach kids of visual impairments
if I didn't do something.
So I wrote some grants
and got some money
and I started the Camp Abilities
so that my students would learn
how to teach children with visual impairments.
Our job is to have children,
who have sensory disabilities,
understand that they can be empowered
to change their own world
and help to change the world around them.
And our job is to
empower them through the sporting experience.
We expect these students to be independent
and to try things
and to come out of their comfort zone.
And for kids,
we want to teach them and show them
and give them opportunity to prove themselves
to their parents, their families, their teachers and say,
hey, this is what I can do,
look at me.
And that's what - what I think this camp is all about.
The program of Camp Abilities
is specifically sports
that they can do after school
such as tandem biking,
track and field, swimming, and gymnastics.
We also do judo
and beat baseball and go-ball
to be able to be in the community
but I also wanted them
with their peers,
so we teach them things like basketball,
rollerblading, fishing, rock-climbing, kayaking
and so those activities
are ones that they could do
in the community
and be involved with their friends.
I think the values of love and forgiveness
are reflected in both the work
of this camp and in the outcome of this camp.
So when I say
that I think love is being reflected here,
it's everywhere.
Love and forgiveness
is actually the foundation
of Camp Abilities.
And the first part is the teachers.
The counselors who are here
want to be here.
They can't wait to connect with the campers
and help them realize everything that they can do.
For the campers,
I see it that they can forgive and love
the things that they've tried.
They can be in a safe place or try something new
and maybe not do it
the best the first time or
maybe not even want to try it and that's okay.
You're allowed to make mistakes here
and the kids are really encouraged
to keep trying and keep trying again
and they are not forced to do
anything that they are not comfortable with
and there's always not only support from
all the counselors here,
but support from fellow campers as well.
Love in action,
why I come back every single day, every year,
I love these kids inside and out.
The Fetzer Institute has given us
an opportunity to provide
the foundation of sport and physical activity.
So now, even though kids
who can't access Camp Abilities,
can still access sport and physical activity
because of the videos that we're making.
I think that it's really cool
that Lauren started this camp.
I think that it's really great
that she saw the potential that we all had
and I just really think
that it took an amazing person like her
to get this started.