As we wind up our Summer Camp programs, we are grateful for all our campers who came to Camp K. We are also grateful for our exceptional staff who helped us fulfill our mission of improving the quality of life for people of all abilities. We would like to share a story from one of our counselors — you may know him as “The Hammer”.
“The Hammer” (bottom center) with a few of his friends
The Hammer came to us from Bountiful – after a friend told him about our Summer Camps and what we do. When he applied at Camp K, he was considering going back to school – but we’ll hear more about that later.
The Hammer has high-functioning autism, and he shared with the Camp K staff his experience as a Camp K counselor:
“When I was younger, I was really going through a tough time and my brother Shaun, my mom, and several friends ALL said to me, ‘I see a lot more confidence in you than you see in yourself,’ and their words were something I’ve carried with me…”
“While not always easy, working at Camp K has been a blessing because it has served as a chance for me to realize my own potential and capabilities while helping others who may be experiencing the same things I did or went through. You know, with autism, people often get stuck being in their, ‘own little world’, and it is sad because the world often treats a disability as a stigma without trying to understand what a person is going through or feeling…”
“…But as we all know, all the campers that we’ve seen this summer are so totally amazing, and I know that our experience here will all make us better husbands or wives and parents.”
After finishing up with Camp K, The Hammer mentioned that he’s seriously considering going back to school to learn more about working with people with disabilities. In paraphrasing an admired athlete, The Hammer said:
“When it comes to achieving your dreams and desires, you have two choices: (1) You can sit there and daydream about it, or (2) you can get up and go out there and make them happen.”
We here at Camp K wish The Hammer — and the rest of our amazing summer staff — all the best!
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