A typical day at Colorado Lion’s Camp starts around 7 A.M. I go over to the male’s dorm to get my campers up, dressed, and ready for the day. Then we go down to the front of the main lodge to raise the flag before breakfast. Normally after breakfast, we would take the campers to the pool, lake, or ranch and come back for lunch. The rest of the day is filled with a 2 hour rest period and then activities like arts and crafts, drama, and sports. We finish the day after the night activity. Everyone takes their nighttime medication and goes up to the dorms to get ready for bed around 9 P.M.

My major responsibilities are making sure my campers are safe, taken care of, and having fun. It can be hard to make sure every camper is involved and having fun. Some really don’t like sports but love crafts, so there has to be that happy balance. Overall, my biggest responsibility is making sure their health is okay while at camp.

You can really tell the camp is focused on the safety and health of our campers but also on them having fun. It can be a weird environment at times. Everyone is so careful and caring for their campers that our guard never goes down, even when dancing to music with them. It’s a constant concern with their emotional and physical health, but seeing them have fun is worth it.

Implementing my knowledge of special needs from my classes has benefited me a lot. Knowing someone with Down syndrome is naturally defiant helps me tailor my approach to something that will get them to work with me. Options are more beneficial than anything. It lets them know they are not being controlled. They are human beings who just require extra attention. The extra attention is worth every minute when you see how happy they are.