- Between Friends Club is dedicated to helping kids with disabilities go to camps, and participate in other recreational activities that they might not be able to enjoy due to their disorders.
He was a quiet boy, unable to give a response when I first introduced myself. I knew he wanted to say something back when his eyes met mine, but nothing came out of his mouth. I did not give up. I said my name again, and asked him how he was doing. He did not reply, and I was forced to ask some more questions. With each question he either nodded or shook his head. I smiled after the short Q & A session was over. His lips curled, forming a wide grin. He smiled a great big smile, and with that I knew we would be friends forever.
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Assisting kids with disabilities is indeed quite stressful, and need a lot of concentration. When I first signed up for this project I knew there were certain things that I had to mentally prepare for, and that it wasn’t going to be easy. Even though they are quite grown up, their disability restricts them of doing a lot of things that normal kids can do with ease. This is what made this camp so special and stand out from other camps that were available. When I looked each and every one of the kids at Camp Bonaventure, I was heartbroken over the fact that the only thing that separated them and me was the particular disability that they each possessed. I was forced to ask some questions in my head, trying to make sense of why this was happening to them.
“Whose fault is it that these kids have to live with these disabilities?”
“How come I wasn’t born with a disability, but they were?”
A lot of these questions ran through my head, when I saw their delicate faces and bodies somehow different
because of disorders such as Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy. I felt saddened because these kids had to be bound in a wheelchair for the rest of their lives. While observing them, I also thought of the regular kids that are free of disabilities. So many times in the news do I hear them doing stupid things that cost them their lives. The campers I saw at Camp Bonaventure were certainly more mature than some of the children out there that had no disabilities. I felt rage brewing inside of me as some kids just go on wasting their life through drugs and alcohol, when some are born with a critical disorder that leaves them bound forever on a wheelchair.
I found this project an absolute must for any volunteer, regardless of age or gender. Volunteer for a day, or for the whole week. If you are signing up just for the hours or activities, you need to realize there’s something more than that. The most memorable moments are with the campers. Take time to know all of them, even though they might not respond to such a manner that you’d like. By the end of the day, they would have changed your life.
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It’s the end of the week already. Time flies fast when you are having fun. I have to say that I am annoyed by how fast this week went. Looking back at all those memories, they almost bring tears to my eyes. It’s time to say goodbye, and a bus arrives to take them away from me. I still have so many things to share with them, but the only word I can say is “goodbye.” There’s that quiet boy again, standing in front of me. This time he smiles a big wide smile. I cannot help to do the same. As he waves his hand and boards on the bus, I turn away with the smile still on my face. I believe their disability won’t affect them to pursue what they want to do when they grow up, because throughout the five days I spent with them, I see so much potential. Maybe they won’t remember me in the future, but I will sure remember them. I realize that their struggles are my struggles, and I will do whatever I can to support them. They are my heroes.