Glasgow Daily Times, Glasgow, KY

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  • Amber Dilley

    Camp T.J.

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June 27, 2009

Camp a chance for kids with disabilities

By AMBER DILLEY

GLASGOW — This week, several kids got the chance to hang out with kids just like them at the 10th annual Camp T.J.

The camp was held at Highland Elementary for kids with disabilities and featured classes for fine and gross motor, art, music, sensory and speech as well as rides in jeeps and on horses.

“The children are diagnosed with some type of special need and in order for them to participate in Camp T.J., they must receive some type of therapy service,” said Stephanie Smith, camp director. “We have occupational, speech and physical therapists. We also take children who have emotional or behavioral problems and they receive some type of therapy or counseling.”

The children participated in jeep and horse rides Friday as well as being part of fun therapy classes.

Eric Britt, with the High Clearance Off Road club, said they had fun driving the kids around the school.

“We take them around, they can put their hands up, get a little wind in their hair,” Britt said.

The club started volunteering for the camp through the benefit mud run T.J. organized.

“From there it just bloomed,” he said. “We do anything we can for the kids.”

The jeep rides dropped the groups of children off at the riding ring, hosted by Ohio County Equestrian, out of Beaver Dam.

Donna Kaelin, a physical therapist with the organization, said the horse rides help the children in many ways.

“For one thing, it works on their balance,” she said. “It makes them sit up straight, stretches their legs. We’ve got activities that require them to reach to the sides so they have to balance with that. Another thing is there’s so much going on that the kids get distracted, so we try to get them to focus on the activity they’re doing. A few of the kids are focused enough that we can let them hold the reins, show them how to steer left and right. Some have done very well with that.”

Rhonda Leach, co-founder of the organization, said that in other groups she has seen, they’ve done so well because they want to.

“We have proven that you can teach anyone to do this, even those with disabilities, as long as they want to,” she said. “If there are people that care enough about you to see that you make it, then you will. Our goal is for them to reach theirs.”

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