Camp Shriver creates place of connection for disabled athletes

When Camp Shriver first began at Cardinal Mooney Catholic High School, there were some nerves involved, says volunteer Maddie Lessig.

However, the sports camp for people with intellectual disabilities returned for its third year, kicking off its week of activities with a game of lacrosse on June 8. 

Lessig, a rising senior at Cardinal Mooney, has grown up with a sister who has autism.  

When Liz Chappell, a teacher who is the club mentor for Special Olympics, came to her with news of a camp that was being started by theology teacher and head cheerleading coach McKenna Garner with the help of Chappell and other faculty, Lessig was excited.

She joined the efforts to start Sarasota's first Camp Shriver, which allows athletes with intellectual disabilities to participate in sports activities, through partnerships with student volunteers.

“It all came together, and now we're here with 20 kids, which, we started with eight kids,” Lessig said. 

Building bonds

Chappell says the purpose of the camp was to give kids with different abilities an opportunity to connect with their peers, while also giving students at the school the chance to make friends with those of different abilities.

She says the volunteer turnout has come to exceed the demand, with the school having to turn away 25 people this year. 

The camp, also held in other locations, is modeled after one started at the home of Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. It is focused on learning through interaction and allowing those with and without intellectual disabilities to work together. 

That includes making sure that camp attendees and counselors all wear the same shirts and enjoy the same meals, Chappell notes.

Since the program’s inception, its costs, including meals and supplies, have been covered through Suncoast Charities for Children in partnership with the Sarasota Tarpon Tournament, allowing athletes to attend free of charge. 

“We've just come such a far way, and obviously the first year was kind of a learning year, what the kids like to do, what they don't like to do, and then we built where we are now,” Lessig said. 

She said some of the changes since its start include limiting outside time to 20 minutes, for attendees can get too hot outside. They’ve started indoor activities that include crafts, like coloring and bracelet making, as well as indoor games like spike ball. 

Another initiative that Lessig has led includes bringing kids back to camp during the year through activities like a December Christmas party. She says attendees have continued to show up to these events. 

“We just want to make sure there's a bunch of things throughout the year that they can be included in, because I mean, the summer is one week,” Lessig said. 

She says the relationships the counselors form with the attendees become bonds like those they share with siblings, and says that they offer the campers a friendly face to go to. 

“It's truly changed my life and my perspective on everything,” she said. “It’s heartwarming to know we're including them. They have a safe place to go, and they feel heard, seen, and everything. We’re all one here.”