Limits forgotten once girls board bus to camp
Kids with physical challenges bond and gain confidence
Sierra Ryan admits she was nervous going to camp last summer.
What 10-year-old wouldn’t be leaving home for the first time without her family to spend a week in the woods?
“I didn’t know anybody or what to expect,” she says of her sojourn in the wilds of northeastern Ontario at Camp Awakening.
The jitters melted away as soon as she boarded the bus to camp where Sierra fit right in with all the girls. In fact, the journey to camp was as much fun as being at Awakening.
“Camp was the best experience because everyone is so nice,” says the Grade 5 student at St. Joachim Catholic School in Toronto. “I don’t feel like I’m different from everyone else. At camp, there is more than one person like you.”
And that’s important for Sierra, who has cerebral palsy. “Sometimes I feel lonely because I’m by myself. Sometimes activities other kids do are too hard for me.”
At camp, Sierra and her friends can be themselves without being judged. They’re as active and happy as kids in mainstream camps and have the best time ever.
At Awakening, no one pays attention to Sierra’s “ride,” the wheelchair she uses when going long distances. (Her counsellors are there for her help get over the rough spots.) Thing is, many of the campers have hardware, whether it’s a walker, braces or a cane, making it easier to get around. If that’s what it takes, then no big deal.
Awakening offers integrated summer camp, leadership and outdoor recreation programs for girls and boys 9-24 years old with physical disabilities including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, juvenile arthritis, epilepsy, spinal cord injury, acquired brain injury, vision loss and amputation. The girls’ are at Camp Oconto, north of Kingston, while the boys are at Camp Kilcoo, near Minden, Ont.
It’s been the best experience for Sierra, who doesn’t let anything get in her way when it comes to activities such as archery, swimming, pottery and singing songs around the campfire while roasting marshmallows.
Her mother, Kimberly Anning, admits she cried when Sierra left for camp last year but was also thrilled knowing her daughter was safe and having the same adventures as other kids.
“It’s pretty awesome,” she says of Awakening, adding Sierra came home more independent and confident.
“I’m tearing up saying this, but for me, it’s about inclusion. She did not feel different and that’s huge.”
There won’t be any tears or doubts when Sierra, now 11, returns to camp this summer. She’ll be back on the archery range aiming for the bullseye again and in the craft shed throwing clay on the pottery wheel — a bowl she’ll display on the mantle at home. Sierra plans to bring her fa- vourite “stuffie” toy to cuddle up with at night as she and her besties in the cabin share girl talk before lights out. That’s what making memories is all about.
“Making lots of friends and doing all the activities is the best part of the camp,” she says adding she was sad leaving Awakening last summer but happy “because I knew I would be coming back.” If you have benefitted from the Fresh Air Fund or have a story to tell, email lferenc@thestar.ca or phone 416-8694309. Goal: $650,000 How to donate: With your gift, the Fresh Air Fund can help send 25,000 disadvantaged and special needs children to camp. The experience gives these children much more than relief from summer heat — it gives them a break in life and memories to last a lifetime. Our target is $650,000. > By cheque: Mail to The Toronto Star Fresh Air Fund, One Yonge St., Toronto, ON M5E 1E6 > By credit card: Visa, MasterCard, AMEX or Discover, call 416-869-4847 > Online: For instant donations, use our secure form at: thestar.com/freshairfund The Star does not authorize anyone to solicit on its behalf. Tax receipts will be issued in September.