More than 150 UT students will volunteer a week of their time this spring, helping children with multiple disabilities to serve as counselors at Camp Koinonia.
   
 The camp has been put on by Gene Hayes and students in his Recreation and Sport Management class since 1977. Camp Koinonia is the culmination of a semester’s worth of instruction in the field of therapeutic recreation; during classroom instruction, UT students learn about the various disabilities campers exhibit. Students are paired up with a camper and these counselors accompany the camper to the various activities offered at the camp, such as canoeing, archery and horseback riding.
   
 For many of the students involved in the program, “Camp K” is a life-altering experience.
    
“Honestly it’s the most important thing I’ve done in college,” Zachary Farmer, senior in kinesiology, said. “Participating in Camp Koinonia has changed my life. Camp is one of my top three experiences I will remember from my time in college. The people you meet at camp form a family bond that goes beyond the week of camp; we grow extremely close through the shared experience that is Camp Koinonia.”
    
For other students, the experiences at Camp K help them put everyday difficulties in perspective.
   
 “Camp Koinonia showed me how blessed I truly am despite what ‘problems’ I think I may have in my life,” Mark Jackson, junior in political science, said. “Camp K puts these non-important things into perspective.”
    
“Everything is special here at camp, especially the end-of-the-week dance,” Jackson said. “My week at camp is something completely different from the ‘normal’ college experience. Humbling yourself to give all that you have to brighten some kid’s week is a truly awesome experience. These campers circle this week on their calendars every year and we do our best to make it a special week for them, because in the end it’s all about the kids.”
   
 Jackson, who will serve as head counselor of one cabin, said last year’s experience made him want to give back even more. His new role brings with it more responsibility.
    
“Last year I only had to keep up with one camper — mine,” Jackson said. “This year I have to keep up with 22 (people), 11 counselors and 11 campers. It’s a huge responsibility, but it’s something I am looking forward to.”
    
As with any new experience, there is bound to be some nervousness for first-year counselors.
    
One such counselor, Adam West, undecided junior, said while he is nervous about the week, he feels that his past experience as a sleep-away camp counselor has prepared him for his first Camp K.
    
“I have been a counselor at sleep-away camp many summers, so this is something I feel I have a lot of experience in dealing with,” West said. “I have dealt with campers that have disabilities in the past, but this is a different animal.
    
“I have full confidence in my head counselor (Mark Jackson) and other camp veterans if I need help.”
   
 Helen Porter, graduate student in kinesiology and co-director of this year’s camp, said that while every year is different and proposes new challenges, changes as to how the camp is being run will allow this year’s camp to be the most successful one yet.
    
Porter, who was a co-director last year, said a lot of this year’s important day-to-day activities, such as program evaluations, big events like the end-of-the-week dance and medical protocols, are being administered by the camp’s grant staff of graduate students. Porter said those three activities are extremely time-consuming and this shift in responsibilities will allow for a better camp experience for counselors and campers.
    
“I definitely feel a lot more calm and confident than I was last year,” Porter said. “(Co-director) Phillip (Pomeroy) and I have a great relationship, and we have done a lot of things together behind the scenes to make sure this year goes on without a hitch.”
    
“This is my fifth year participating,” Porter said. “Every year is different; every year brings about new challenges. Camp means so many wonderfully different things to many people. That to me makes it the experience of a lifetime.”