Personal Narrative: Western Dupage Special Recreation Association

It was a nice summer morning we I was all of a suden shoke like turbulence on a plane to wake up. It turns out I slept threw my alarm to wake up for the day. It was about 11:00 am and today we were heading to Florida and our flight takes off at 1:00 pm. You may think that we had time to make the airport in Milwaukee but, we had to drive all the way to Chicago, Illinois because there was no flight for Florida in Milwaukee. Luckily I had packed the day before with the rest of my family so all we had to do was wait for our aunt Lisa to take us to the aiport in Chicago. She showed up five minutes later with a mini van and there was about seven of us jammed in there. It was alright for me because in our family if you called “shot-gun” or “I

While we sat in our rambling tan and yellow cabin among the trees at 416 Spencer Falls Lane at Big Bear Lake, we watched the gloomy rain fall all morning long. Finally, the storm passed and the dark gray clouds passed over, the sun shone brightly on the wet grass. Yes, the day soon was as pleasant as any other august day, of course we knew it was frequently the case with a warm summer rain. This time, however, the rain had swelled the river washed away our small wooded bridge. Elaine my youngest sister sat beside the washed out bridge, she was so unhappy because it was loss. It was then that a shiny blue convertible drove up beside her, the four of us, our names are: William, Martina, Ella and David, watched as the car approached, it was around

I witnessed my cousins boyfriend corpse lying on my neighbors lawn. It was a humid summer night around 3:30 when I peeked through my window and saw my devastated cousin sobbing uncontrollably on my decaying porch. Being from East chicago, Indiana has transformed me into the person I am today.

After her time at the habilitation program, she moved to Colorado. Her first job in Colorado was at the Rise School of Denver, which “provides services to children with and without disabilities through an inclusive education model.” During her time at the Rise School, the executive director of Adams Camp reached out to her and provided a job description that immediately captured her interest. She rapidly transitioned into the Adams Camp environment and found her home. Jordan has the opportunity to serve 350 families every year in both Adventure Camp and other therapeutic programs that is offered by Adams Camp. But, it hasn’t all been an easy road for her at Adams Camp. She voiced, “With an aging population, we are tasked with creating age appropriate services for all. The other challenge is finding more empowering opportunities for our population.” Most people with developmental disabilities can live a long and fulfilled life, but their special needs vary by age. At the moment, Adams Camp prioritizes younger clients in order to prepare them properly for their futures. But because Jordan is so dedicated to improving the lives’ of others, she

One cold, dreadful winter day in November, the wind was biting at our faces, high in the Ouachita mountains at Ash Creek deer camp, I would have to face my most dreaded fear. I would be faced with losing the person that means the uttermost to me.

Let's start back when he started having his early stages of his complications. Something that he loved to do during the summer, was to take us camping at Joe Pool Lake for the weekend. Whenever we would go camping, he would also bring our pontoon boat with us to either go swim out on the lake, go tubing, or go fishing. This day was different though, he didn't seem like himself at all. Some of my mom's friends came out to the campsite, so we were all wanting to go out on the boat, and usually he is the first one to ask us if we want to go out on the lake, but he was nowhere to be found. My mom went into our camper, where he was laying down in bed, and asked "Do you want to take the boat out on to the lake with us?" He said "No, I'm not feeling good. My stomach hurts, but you all can take the keys and go." When he said this, we didn't think much about it because stomach aches and pains can be a normal thing that can come and go. Well little did we know, this was just the beginning of the most terrifying and tragic journey that we have gone through. We proceeded to take the boat,

Six years ago, my life was changed forever. It was the summer leading into the sixth grade, and my mom asked me if I would like to help at a summer camp for special needs people. Honestly, I knew that I would be working at this camp no matter what my answer might have been. As I anticipated the first day of the week long event, I grew anxious; I was frightened by the unknown. Even though I've lived with someone with disabilities my whole life, my ten year old mind had no clue what the campers themselves be like. Despite my fears, this short five day week was one I would never forget.

Just this past summer, under the hot, and sticky sun, we pushed our car to the limit, on our 1,000 mile journey to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, although in actuality we might have pushed our fears to the absolute limit. Flipping through the Colorado vacation brochure proved to have posed some interesting vacation destinations, such as "Big Bear Lake" and Trail Ridge Road. With the intent to get high in the sky, our family headed out the next morning to Trail Ridge Road, which is a road that takes you up to a staggering height of 12,000 feet. Although optimistic, we imagined of the vast fields of green, the glacier-topped mountains, and the valleys that undertake the them. As we climbed up to the peak, it seemed apparent that there

Chirp! That is a sound often heard in the wilderness, while camping. This outdoor activity is enjoyable for many reasons.

I have assisted with babysitting and being involved with leadership clubs, however, this past summer was the best voluntarily experience I have ever done. I volunteered at the San Fernando Recreation Park’s summer day camp for eight weeks. Not only was I being prepared to become a counselor, but I obtained skills there, such as patience and responsibility.

I spent the last five + years working daily with students and their families as the director of an after school program and summer camp sponsored by the City of Philadelphia Department of Human Services. These programs were created to prevent truancy and reduce child abuse and neglect. My program had a STEAM and literacy focus. As director, I was responsible for managing all aspects of program administration from meeting the state school-age child care health and safety standards, to hiring and supervising staff, to selecting and implementing curriculum.

Describe your experiences in working with children or youth with disabilities, and indicate their significance to you.

have planted the seed that grew into my goal, succeeding summers at Variety have made possible

“Making the impossible possible” is the motto of Camp Able. Camp Able offers a summer camp experience for people with special needs, whether they be physical or mental. This week-long session affects the lives of many and I can vouch for that. This experience has given me so many fond memories and has filled me with a more humble spirit. All of the staff that takes part in the one-on-one care and assisted daily living are volunteers who graciously dedicate their time and money to go through online certification, staff training, and the week itself. My experience in volunteering for this event caused me to have some very mixed feelings, but I learned so much along the way.

When I was sixteen and again at seventeen, I received two traffic tickets. Since I was under eighteen, I had to go to the Mercer County Court House for both of them. Being in that building felt right to me. I wanted to work there. Even though I was there under unfavorable circumstances, I couldn’t wait to come back to the courthouse. Also, when I went in to see the judge for my traffic offenses, she did not scold me or yell at me. She talked to me. The judge did not go into a lengthy discussion on the dangers of speeding; we both knew that speeding was unsafe. Instead, she talked to me and got me to understand the implications of my actions. I remember her saying that you have to think about the consequences of your actions and how they can