So during our service term with AmeriCorps NCCC Corps Members are required to do 80 hours of Independent Service Projects. Luckily for us based in Denver this includes the possibility of volunteering at Rocky Mountain Village (RMV) an Easter Seals camp in Empire, CO. RMV is a place where during the summer children (and adults!) with disabilities come for a week at a time to come to camp. However, since it is not yet summer (as the weather keeps reminding me during it’s cruel Monday/Tuesday snows each week) the camp holds respite weekends during the winter months. Respite weekends usually consist of kids coming to camp in order to give their loved ones some time to relax. However, the weekend we were volunteering was a different type of weekend which was called Talking with Technology. For this weekend all the kids who came up had just recently received a new device which they can use to talk. The weekend was all about assimilating the family to these new talkers. So not only were there 8 kids up at RMV there were 8 families. So we got to spend the weekend with brothers and sisters and moms and dads in addition to the children there. It was a weekend full of great fun. There was dress-up, arts and crafts, an ice cream party, a talent show, and my favorite part of the weekend, a chance for all the kids to do the zip line.
Now most of you should know how much I love Experiential Education considering I spent 4 years in undergrad working for Venture doing just that. I love the idea of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and growing through that push. So, you can imagine how it was to watch kids with disabilities go down the zip line. Some kids were able, though wheelchair bound, to use their arms in order to climb up the wall and zip down. For those unable to climb up, the opportunity was not lost. The kids were still able to experience the thrill of zipping down the zip line after being pulleyed up to the top. The look on the kids faces as they zipped down was something that I won’t soon forget. It was such a look of happiness and joy. To be able to do something they had never done before and experience it was something to behold. It was such an awesome thing to see.
Beyond the zipline, the atmosphere at RMV is magical. The staff there is awesome and it is clear that they really love what they do. It’s refreshing to see people who really do love their jobs and thrive at them. It was also a great experience to share with my shuffle team and I think it brought us closer together. We bonded over our mutual love and attachment to the children and the camp. We had a really great time and were able to “Leave our Mark”, quite literally in the camp directors home.
Unfortunately not all ISPs are so lovely… like when you get to one and they tell you ‘just stand there’ but what can I say, it got me my last 30 minutes of ISP hours and some free SWAG. My enthusiasm for my task and my pouch of free stuff can be seen in the picture below.
Hannah's AmeriLife 