Hot Fun in the Summertime

During what turned out to be one of the hottest weeks of the year, a group of children enjoyed a new summer camp. The inaugural Junior Adaptive Sports Camp, sponsored by Wright & Filippis in conjunction with Oakland County Parks provided 41 children the opportunity to take part in various sports, meet new people, and for many, spend their first nights away from home.

"We had 41 campers this year who were either physically or cognitively disabled," said Sherri Szep, Events & Promotions Coordinator for Wright & Filippis. The children ranged in age from 7 to 17 years old, and those who were able could stay the night in the student dorms at Oakland University, while the other campers came for the day each day.

The camp was held at Oakland University from July 14-16. The children could participate in activities such as track and field, tennis, field hockey, soccer and golf. They also swam in the Oakland University pool under the instruction of Shawn Kornoelje, OU and Paralympic swim coach. All of the activities were adapted to the children's needs so that everyone was able to try each of the sports.

The weekend wrapped up with a barbecue lunch for the campers and their families on Sunday afternoon.

"A lot of kids said they've never been to camp before and when it came time to leave, they really didn't want to go home," said Szep. "They were exchanging phone numbers in hopes of making new friendships that would last."

Plans are already in the works for next year's camp with the hopes
of increasing attendance to 100
children.

41 children with disabilities participated in the inaugural Jr. Adaptive Sports Camp, where they learned and played various sports, such as tennis, soccer, golf, and basketball.