Campers gather with brooms in hand on a basketball court at Camp Summit in Argyle to play a game of broomball with volunteers from the University of North Texas.
It's basically broom hockey, says Lisa Braziel, director of the camp for children and adults with disabilities.
The students from UNT are part of an alternative spring break program that sets up opportunities for them to participate in community service projects during their week off from studies.
This is the first year that UNT has volunteered at Camp Summit - one of 10 trips coordinated by UNT's Center for Leadership and Service.
Other projects include rebuilding homes in New Orleans, visiting children at the Ronald McDonald House in San Antonio and cleaning up Galveston Bay.
Raul Meza III, a UNT senior majoring in recreation and leisure studies, was playing broomball with the campers.
It is his second year to be a part of the program; last year he was in New Orleans helping with rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina.
He was asked to go back to New Orleans this spring break but wanted to stay closer to home, Meza said.
A site leader this year, he helps coordinate the 17 college students and lets them know what is going on.
Meza said he has been asked why he would give up his spring break.
"I didn't give up spring break; I gained something from it," he said.
The volunteers stay at the camp and are ready by 7 a.m. to help get campers dressed and ready for the day. In the morning, campers have an activity period. Then there is a break after lunch for the campers to nap or relax; in the afternoon, another activity period begins.
Then the campers have a special evening activity, such as the talent show they had Wednesday night or the dance they will have tonight, before going to bed by 10 p.m.
Shelton Alves, a business management graduate student, said that before UNT students take part in the program, they go through an interview process to make sure they understand the commitment involved.
Alves said he likes the program, especially getting to go "somewhere like here because you are putting someone else's needs above your own."
Camp Summit is in its second year offering a spring break camp for people ages 6 and older with all types of disabilities.
The camp started Sunday and ends Friday, offering campers a chance to take part in horseback riding, ropes courses, arts and crafts, nature studies, sports and games.
With 80 campers, Camp Summit is at capacity, under the guidance of 60 volunteers and paid staff.
"We couldn't put on this week if we didn't have these individuals here," Braziel, the camp director, said.
Camp Summit also schedules 11 weeks of camps in the summer and is planning nine weeks of fall camps.
Roxanne Ziegler, an accounting senior, said she believes this is a time for the campers to be who they are.
For her first year as part of the UNT program, Ziegler chose to volunteer at the camp because she wanted to do something with children.
"My favorite part has been watching the other volunteers grow," she said.
Julie Gober, a junior majoring in speech pathology, appreciates that the camp, which was established in 1947, puts its campers first.
"I've worked with special-needs [people] for quite a while," she said.
What she enjoyed about the camp was working with 30- to 50-year-olds with special needs. She said they inspired her.
The camp offers families a break, said Carla Weiland, president of Camp Summit. She said that taking care of someone with a disability can be a full-time job.
The camp also has a "respite day" in December to give parents and family members time to do Christmas shopping.
"We are one of the few camps in the nation that serve the individuals that we serve," Braziel said.
The camp's focus is on the campers' abilities, not their disabilities, she said, and volunteers want the campers to have fun.
If one of the campers wants to ride a horse, the person will get the opportunity to ride a horse - even if it takes five people to get the camper on the horse, Braziel said.
"We adapt however we can for each camper," she said.
RACHEL MEHLHAFF can be reached at 940-566-6889. Her e-mail address is rmehlhaff@dentonrc.com.
