‘The adaptive water sports day is the most anticipated event of the year for many of our Extreme Recess participants’ was what I always heard. Since starting at Dreams for Kids, I always heard about ‘what a memorable day it was’ and ‘how the smiles on the children’s faces after going waterskiing for the first time stick with you the rest of your life.’ I have been working with the Extreme Recess program for about a year and I can honestly say the day didn’t disappoint.

On August 10, over 50 children descended upon a lake in Twin Lakes, WI. Every child was excited for something that day. Many of the children couldn’t wait to go waterskiing while others just simply wanted to go for a boat or jet-ski ride. For some of these children it was their first time while, others had been coming for several years. One story sticks out in my mind most from that day.

For a first time family coming to an Extreme Recess: adaptive water sports day, the experience can be a little frightening, especially if the parents have never seen their child water ski before. When one mother, who’s child had not been to an Extreme Recess event before, wrote me several emails asking about everything under the sun, I wasn’t surprised. However, the last email she wrote said that her children were looking at pictures from past events and couldn’t wait for the “big day!” After reading her last email, I began to realize that all the things I had heard about this Extreme Recess weren’t a lie.

On the day of the event, I was working activity sign-up. This particular job allowed me the opportunity to speak with almost every participant for at least a few moments. When this mother arrived with her children in tow, the wait for most activities was at least 20 minutes. I thought she was going to be furious but, surprisingly she was thankful for her children being able to enjoy a beautiful day on the lake.  Soon 20 minutes passed, finally the big moment arrived for her son, his first waterskiing experience. I wasn’t able to see him ride but, it isn’t hard to imagine the look of terror slowly being replaced by a huge smile on his face as he cruised around the lake.  As the families were leaving, the mother thanked me and let me know how much the day meant to her and her children. I let her know that, ‘I was glad that her and her family could make it and hopefully I’d see them at another Extreme Recess event in the near future.’

The following Thursday, I was in the office recapping the event and filing all the papers from it. When I returned from lunch, I saw the mother and her two children. She had come with her children to personally deliver a homemade thank you card and let us again know how much the day meant to her and her children.

It’s unbelievable to think that one beautiful day spent on the lake could have such a profound impact on someone’s life. Then again, this is what Dreams for Kids has been doing for over 20 years. I’m glad and truly thankful to have been apart of this special day for this family and the many others who attended the event.

Tags: adaptive sports, disability, Dreams For Kids, water ski