Lynn Renee Photography Blog | My Special Summer
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My Special Summer

01 Feb My Special Summer

Posted at 10:00h in Art by
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A Special Summer

You’ve survived the winter; cold, snow, ice.  And if you are a freelancer like me worked might have slowed down a bit as February reared it’s icy head.  So now it’s time to celebrate, spring is here and new life is popping up all over.

In 2016 I spent most of the summer covered in sunscreen, freezing bandanas in batches, and wearing out multiple pairs of knee pads.  I might sound like an athlete but I was just a photographer documenting hoards of kids enjoying the highlights of summer camp.  Last summer I got the chance to revisit these camps but with a much different purpose, I was there to document Keshet in action, a program that provides kids with special needs a chance to enjoy these right of passage just like any other kid their age. But instead of the non-stop action sweating to catch every moment of a great day at summer camp, I had to focus on these unique children who brought their own version of a great summer day with them everywhere they went.

So Much Love

 A total coincidence that the summer I was hired to document Keshet’s day camp program was the same summer that my son, Aleck, was going to our local JCC summer camp through the Keshet program.  Since he had to have a one on one counselor for the summer we were so nervous worrying about who this person would be, would they have the right personality to fit Aleck, and would they be able to give him a great summer without getting in the way.  When we met Silvia all our worries evaporated in the June sun, she was perfect.
That’s one of Keshet’s great strengths, pairing the right kids with the right people to make their summers as enjoyable as possible.  I had a hard time separating some of these kids from their counselors, even from their site directors.  It was obvious that these special kiddos were in great hands.

It’s The Quiet Moments

Instead of searching for groups of kids playing flag football or on a paddleboat together, a lot of the campers through Keshet preferred one on one interactions; most had developed friendships with other campers and some even had siblings at camp with them.  To play together meant getting away from the chaos going on all around them and finding their own way to interact and enjoy the day.

Pool Therapy

The one activity that almost every kid in the Keshet program looked forward to every day was swimming.  My own Aleck, who we had to pull out of swimming lessons because he was putting up such a fuss, would come home every day to tell us that swimming was the best part of his day.  It’s no wonder that places like the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab encourage pool therapy, there’s nothing like the feeling of being weightless in the pool.

Try Everything

In my own experience, I’ve found that I never know what activities will motivate Aleck, and what activities simply won’t click.  We chose our Apachi Camp based on their STEAM program, figuring Aleck would live in the science lab.  But instead, he played bingo with the older girls, ran around the stage learning about improv, and came home telling jokes.  With their own counselors there to help, these campers can still try out every activity their peers are doing because you never know what’s really going to make them smile.
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