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Shirley Ryan AbilityLab kicked off summer by welcoming more than 30 campers to an action-packed week of adaptive sports at the annual Tengelsen Family Foundation Sports for Kids Camp, held in partnership with the Chicago Park District.
At this year’s camp — one of the largest camps to date — kids had the opportunity to discover and play two adaptive sports each day.
Check out our recap and photos from five days of summer fun!
Monday
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Camp opened with a wheelchair softball lesson supported from the Cubs Charities. The kids worked on fielding, hitting and running the bases. The first day of camp wound down with everyone's new favorite sport: wheelchair pickleball.
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Tuesday
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This was “Mascot Day” at camp! First up was a meet-and-greet with the Chicago Blackhawks’ Tommy Hawk before a fun day on the ice playing sled hockey. That afternoon, the kids learned a few tips about wheelchair football from Staley, the Chicago Bears’ mascot.
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Wednesday
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On a picture-perfect summer day in Chicago, campers started the day on Lake Michigan with the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation and then enjoyed rock climbing at Maggie Daley Park.
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Thursday
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On another hot day in Chicago, the kids had a chance to cycle on the lakefront path with the city skyline as a backdrop. They also honed their targeting skills with archery, hosted at the Lincoln Park archery field.
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Friday
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Camp wrapped up with wheelchair lacrosse, one of the newest adaptive sports offered at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, followed by a fun-filled family picnic with yard games.
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“Thanks to the incredible staff from both Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and the Chicago Park District, as well as our longstanding community partnerships, we had a great week of sport programming that we hope will serve as a catalyst to so much more. By the end of the week, we were watching new friendships blossom between some of our returning participants and first-time campers,” said Kelsey LeFevour, manager of the Adaptive Sports program at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.
“It is a special opportunity for us to be part of a program where kids realize that they can play and try new things and be excited about the summer, just like anyone else their age. We are looking forward to a busy summer and the continued growth of our youth programs,” she said.
To learn more about summer program opportunities at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, contact Kelsey LeFevour at klefevour02@sralab.org or 312.238.6824.
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