HEROES

"The mission of HEROES is to create social,
recreational and vocational programs
designed to meet the unique needs of
individuals with disabilities."

in addition to chillin' with my beautiful daughter and sunning in florida, part of my summer was spent working a summer camp for special needs kids. my good friend, josh, started this camp 5 years ago with only 5 kids--one of whom was his own son. it has grown leaps and bounds with this summer being the biggest yet. we had anywhere from 70-80 kids each week!

i worked 3 out of the 6 weeks and i absolutely had a blast!

when summer began, i was definately questioning my choice to work part of my summer and not spend it all with addy. i'll be honest, i wasn't looking forward to it. we were already paying for daycare through the summer months, plus we needed the extra money to help with our vacation and other bills...so what the heck, right? the first day of camp felt like my very first day of teaching--nervous, anxious, and pretty sad i left my girl.

those feelings all went away very quickly. i cannot tell you the impact the 3 weeks i worked made on me. camp was filled with trips to mcdonalds, trips to the movies, swimming at the pool, hiking 3 mile trails, volunteering at local businesses, games, cooking, karate, yoga, and fun with music. as i walked to my car each friday after camp, i found myself getting a bit choked up overwhelmed with pride and joy. i had the opportunity to hang out with

some amazing children and work alongside people that are as passionate as i am.

this camp is so important because most of the kids we served would get turned away elsewhere because of their disabilities. sad, but true. the parents of these kids were overwhelmingly appreciative--thanking us at the end of each day for "giving our time". it was a nice change of pace from what i have become used to in the public school setting. ;) matter of fact, the parents were so appreciative, they secretly (behind Josh's back) raised over $7000 to put towards the camp becoming an official non-profit organization!

i am so excited to see what the future has in store for HEROES and to continue to be a part of it. it was strange and a bit sad not heading to camp yesterday morning. josh's dream is to make this year round...and when it happens, i'll be there! i am so proud to be a part of this group!! stay tuned--i'll be buggin' you all when our fundraisers begin!!