Partners In Adventure: VPIC's Summer Camp
The room is buzzing with piano music and the chatter of campers, aides and staff.  It’s the first day of Partners In Adventure camp in Essex Junction.

For some, the first day of camp is easy, for others it can be intimidating. The staff of PIA is prepared. Everyone’s invited to join a big circle outside for a series of “get to know each other” games. Around the circle there are a few campers with walkers and wheelchairs. Campers choose a partner and touch elbow to elbow and ear to ear. Switch partners. This time one is in a wheelchair. The other camper finds that touching a disabled camper is no different than it is with anyone else. By the end of the games, the campers have learned new communication skills like sign language and have begun the summer camp ritual of making new friends.

Partners In Adventure has just completed its 3rd season as Vermont’s only fully inclusive and accessible day camp for young people with and without disabilities.  From sailing and kayaking to fencing, African drumming, horseback riding and swimming, PIA has given teens with disabilities opportunities for summertime fun that many have never had.

A team of volunteers, ages 16 to 18, is recruited and trained for disability awareness. Their role as ‘mentors’ for younger campers helps bridge the gap that can occur between disabled and non-disabled campers.

A program of The Vermont Parent Information Center, Partners In Adventure began in 2000 as a 10-day pilot project and has grown to a 6-week camp in 2002. The PIA Advisory Board is comprised of representatives of ten community organizations who meet regularly with staff and parent advisors. These organizations are the Recreation Departments of Burlington, Essex Junction, South Burlington and Essex, Burlington Department of Public Works, Shelburne Farms, STEP Therapeutic Horseback Riding, Racquet’s Edge, Parent to Parent of Vermont and Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports.

PIA is supported by grants as well as by donations from individuals and local businesses. By providing scholarships to more than half the campers, disabled and non-disabled alike, PIA enables teens to enjoy a summer of new experiences, friendships, and fun.

To make a donation or for more information:  call  Debbie Lamden, PIA Director, Wed. and Fri., 802-658-5315 voice and tdd, or write to Partners In Adventure c/o VPIC, 1 Mill St. Ste 310, Burlington, VT, 05401. Click on ‘Partners In Adventure’ on our website at www.vtpic.com.  ©

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