Recreation therapy and other health professions students helped youths with disabilities learn, or improve, wheelchair sports skills during a one-week camp.
The 19th annual Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp, sponsored by the Grand Rapids Wheelchair Sports Association, was held in the Fieldhouse July 5-9. More than 70 campers, ages 6-18, swam and played wheelchair basketball, tennis, hand cycling, golf and softball.
Camp director Maria Besta, a 1990 GVSU graduate from the recreation therapy program, said student volunteers learned more than how to work with wheelchair-bound youth.
"They're getting an understanding of the profession and what it's about," she said. "They are also learning about different disabilities and how to network with companies and other programs in the community."
The expense of sport wheelchairs -- some models can cost $2,000-3,000 -- makes it a necessity for the non-profit GRWSA to partner with area home medical equipment businesses.
Sue Kurtz, a recreation therapy major, had worked with long-term care patients. Helping young people learn new skills and gain confidence was remarkable, she said.
"The enthusiasm of the kids is the greatest thing I notice," she said.
