TUSCUMBIA-Twenty students from as far away as West Virginia can now say they have experienced the life of Helen Keller first-hand.
The fourth through sixth graders, who are visually and/or hearing impaired, attended Camp Courage, a Helen Keller Experience Sept. 14-16. Most of the activities for the intensive camp were held at Ivy Green, Keller’s birthplace and childhood home in Tuscumbia. The camp teaches the young campers to use their abilities to make a difference in their school, their community and the world, just as Helen Keller did.
Keller overcame losing her vision and hearing as toddler to become an author, lecturer, advocate for the disabled and inspiration to people around the world. During Camp Courage, the students learn about Keller and how she helped change the world.
The campers watched scenes from “The Miracle Worker” play, toured Ivy Green, created crafts, participated in self-esteem and team building activities, went fishing on Pickwick Lake, and toured Cypress Cove Farm in Red Bay. There were also activities for their parents.
Sue Pilkilton, executive director of the Helen Keller Birthplace in Tuscumbia and an organizer of Camp Courage, said it’s heartwarming to see how the children interact and help one another.
“The children start bonding as soon as they get here,” Pilkilton said. “The vision-impaired children will form bonds with the hearing-impaired and begin helping them and the hearing-impaired children will start helping the vision-impaired. They do this on their own. We don’t pair them up that way.”
Pilkilton said the campers form lifelong friendships. This is the fifth year for Camp Courage, a Helen Keller Experience and many of the campers from previous years remain close friends with people they met at the camp.
There is no charge to the campers or their families who attend Camp Courage. Generous donations from sponsors make the camp possible.
Student teachers from the University of North Alabama serve as counselors for the camp. They are supervised by a team of Helen Keller Fellows, who are highly-qualified teachers of the deaf-blind. The camp is very intense, but the smiles and laughter of the children are non-stop. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who is having the most fun, the campers or the staff.
The concept for Camp Courage originated with state Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow of Red Bay.
Morrow said almost every time he visits Ivy Green, he meets parents of a child that is visually or hearing impaired. “I will ask them, why did you bring your child to Ivy Green? They always say, ‘There’s magic here. This is where the miracle took place’.”
Morrow said Camp Courage preserves the legacy of Helen Keller and the miracle that occurred at Ivy Green when she first communicated with her teacher Anne Sullivan. “I think Helen Keller would be proud of what we are doing with her legacy,”
Local students attending Camp Courage included Karli Dickerson of Colbert Heights, Talitha Ellis of Muscle Shoals, Emori Hardin of and Julie Anna Shirley of Tuscumbia, Blake McCulloch of Phil Campbell and Samuel Wilson of Russellville.
Sponsors of Camp Courage, a Helen Keller Experience, include; Helen Keller Birthplace Foundation, City of Tuscumbia – Mayor Kerry Underwood, Optometry Cares – The AOA Foundation, Dr. and Mrs. Kenji Hamada and The Hamada Family Trust, Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow and Dr. Martha Morrow, Alabama Mountain Lake Tourist Association, University of North Alabama, Alabama Tourism Department, Colbert County Tourism, Tim Horton Profound Outdoors, Muscle Shoals Trojan Bass Fishing Team, Red Warrior Foundation, Junior League of the Shoals, Tuscumbia Lions Club, Valley Credit Union, Helen Keller Hospital, Helen Keller Garden Club, District One Garden Clubs of Alabama, Colbert County Commission, Colbert County Community Development Commission, Franklin County Community Development Commission, The Red Clay Epicurean, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Jerkin, Kay Stegall, Beverly Wiginton and Pam Hendon.
Photos/Dennis Sherer
