By Lauren Lieberman.
The Ferry Ride
In 2009 I was sitting on a ferry in Alaska while on vacation. Those of you who know me will not be surprised to learn I started a conversation with complete strangers. They asked me questions about my life and when I talked about camp, their curiosity deepened as they heard about the athletes and the sports and the success stories.
After a few hours, I realized I had only touched the surface of all we have accomplished and all we still have to do. As they intently listened to me, their eyes filled with joy and with tears. The woman leaned closer and said, “You know, this should be a movie.” After hesitating a moment, she added “But I think you should start with a book.”
After I got over the shock of her suggestion, I decided to grab all my free minutes in airports and between meetings and start writing all the stories down. As the experiences and stories over 25 years unfolded during a decade of writing, I finally have a full manuscript.
Never An End
But a book is finite, limited to a word count. Camp Abilities is infinite. Camp Abilities has a beginning and a middle but never an end. Our campers, their families and the volunteers carry their lessons and achievements into their personal worlds, their local communities and around the globe.
It is time to share all of our stories. Let’s show the world when you believe you can achieve!
Welcome to Our New Website: Camp Abilities World
Our goals for this site are simple and yet extraordinarily important:
- SHOWCASE the camps, the staff, the supporters and especially the kids
- EXPLORE the history, the IMPACT, and the FUTURE of Camp Abilities
- EDUCATE the public all over the world
- CONVINCE the sighted community that all children, regardless of their ability to see, have untapped potential
- PROVIDE resources for those who are blind, visually impaired, or deafblind
The couple suggested I write MY story. But MY story is YOUR story and OUR story and THEIR story. I once just dreamed of opening a sports camp for BVI and all of a sudden, it’s 25 years later. It has not been a solitary journey. It has not been an easy journey. It has been a wonderful and wild journey and worth every struggle.
MY journey started in Brockport in 1995. OUR journey has reached Ghana and Brazil and Guatemala. There are still states and countries that need us. There are still unreached children who deserve to experience Camp Abilities!
Through this blog we will visit Camp Abilities all over the world. We will meet campers and volunteers. We will talk to former campers and learn how Camp Abilities shaped their lives and where they are now. We will see how Camp Abilities has gone far beyond the campus of Brockport.
Please follow along by signing up for our blog posts at campabilitiesworld.com. Camp Abilities World can also be found on Facebook and Instagram @campabilitiesworld.
Welcome to Camp Abilities World!
~Lauren Lieberman, Camp Abilities Founder
