As a site director at Camp Lodestar, it’s easy to get caught up in the daily tasks of running a facility. Then, sometimes something will happen with our camp guests that reminds me of why we do what we do. Being part of a team that supports our organizations mission “creating partnerships to provide positive life-changing experiences,” is truly inspiring.

One summer day I was helping a group of deaf & hard-of-hearing campers at the zipline. An adult counselor of a youth group decided to give ziplining a try for the first time. As she was climbing her way up to the launch platform, I saw her hesitate. I watched as she navigated the climb experiencing some difficulty. When the counselor was near the top she stopped and started climbing back down the ladder.

All of a sudden a young girl, who had been very shy and very much in the background all week, ran over and emphatically began using sign language to communicate to the counselor.

“You can do it, yes you can!” signed the little girl.

The counselor smiled, took a deep breath and started climbing back up to the launch platform and successfully took her first zip line ride.

Messages of encouragement come in all forms, this one happened to be from a child to an adult instead of the other way around. I can’t help think how much these simple supportive words may have impacted the camp counselor and also the supportive child. I’d like to hope that as this little girl grows she continues to encourage herself and others to do things that may at first seem scary, yet end up challenging and inspiring.

–Jeff, Site Director at Camp Lodestar