Quinnipiac University will become the first institution of higher education in the country to host Camp No Limits, an overnight camp for children and adolescents with limb loss and their families, July 8-12, on its York Hill Campus, 305 Sherman Ave.
Through adapted recreational activities and life skills programs with professionals, including physical and occupational therapists, prosthetists and both teen and adult amputee mentors, Camp No Limits aims to optimize the functional independence of children living with limb loss. Parents and siblings will have opportunities to experience a network of support.
Camp participants will:
- develop self-confidence, achieve personal aspirations and form enduring friendships
- participate in and gain awareness of recreational programs available to children with limb loss
- gain knowledge of the latest prosthetic options.
Campers also will learn about a variety of sports, including sled hockey, which will be offered at the TD Bank Sports Center at Quinnipiac. In addition, amputee teen mentors, campers and their parents will learn about scholastic sport rule modifications that pertain to playing sports with prosthetics.
“This partnership with Camp No Limits will give Quinnipiac students majoring in the health sciences, nursing and medicine hands-on experience with a special pediatric population and eventually lead to the university becoming a valuable resource to children with limb loss and their families,” said Donald Kowalsky, an associate professor of physical therapy at Quinnipiac who is organizing the camp with three Quinnipiac physical therapy students, Jennifer McNaughton, Courtney Miller and Avani Patel.
The fee for Camp No Limits is $500. Scholarships are available from Hanger, Inc., a premier provider of orthotic and prosthetic services and products. No camper is turned away for an inability to pay. To register, please contact Mary Leighton, executive director of Camp No Limits, at campnolimits@gmail.com or at 207-240-5762.
Siblings of campers have the option of attending the Billy Mecca All Sports and Academic Camp, which takes place at Quinnipiac from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., July 6-10. For more information about that camp, please call Mecca at (203) 582-8624.
Camp No Limits is a non-profit organization that provides camps for children with limb loss, and education, mentorship and support to these children and their families. In 2004, Mary Leighton, an occupational therapist from Maine, founded Camp No Limits with four campers, which has now grown to 10 locations nationwide, serving hundreds of families. In addition to Connecticut, Camp No Limits is offered in Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Missouri and Texas. For more information, visit Camp No Limits’ website atwww.nolimitsfoundation.org.