A higher purpose

One hundred and fifty Out-of-Door Academy sophomores took to the trees to get out of their bubble.

On Jan. 26, those students were paired as buddies with 32 students from Easter Seals’ Vocational Introduction and Preparation Academy students during an outing at the TreeUmph! Adventure Course in Lakewood Ranch.

“A lot of us live in the same bubble every single day,” said ODA sophomore Maria Miller. “Seeing stories outside of that bubble of ours is important, and it broadens our view of the world.”

The two schools were continuing a relationship that started eight years ago.

The objective of the partnership is to offer students an opportunity to support, encourage and learn about each other through a physical, emotional, or challenging experience in a controlled, safe setting.

TreeUmph! offered the safe, but challenging setting this year.

“It’s really scary getting up there, so we encourage each other through it,” said ODA sophomore Alex Assha said. “This is such a good bonding exercise. We’re all going out of our comfort zone and making new friends. I hope that once we leave here we can still be friends.”

The VIP Academy students have been diagnosed with physical, cognitive and/or emotional differences.

“Most of the kids have never done this (the adventure course),” said Don Herndon, director of the VIP Academy and Adults Programs at Easter Seals. “It’s important because a lot can be learned from different people, different cultures and in the differences between the two groups. Together, when communicating with each other, they can learn about each other’s lives.”