DEDHAM, Maine — Due to the ongoing pandemic, Camp Capella in Dedham is not holding normal camp sessions this summer.
To help fill the void with the more than 100 campers that usually attend Camp Capella every year, the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center based in Carrabassett Valley put on a program at Camp Capella for two weekends.
Through the program, kids and adults with disabilities are able to have a single day of fun in the water. Water sports and activities including sailing, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, and even water-skiing. Most importantly, all of the water sports had adaptive seats or gear!
In accordance with CDC guidelines, the activities were limited to ten people at a time and everything was wiped down between each use.
"We had a bunch of campers that would typically come to Capella that joined us here so its good for them to be at a familiar camp and just doing the activities they look forward to every year, even if it's with a different organization," says Kayla Lee, the director at the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center.
"There is a very special message I'd like to get across to people, that people with disabilities can do lots of sports and I encourage everybody to get outside and do something fun and physically active," says 16-year-old attendee, Colby Gott.
Lee says they are trying to organize their next outdoor activity in September at Acadia National Park. It would be an adaptive outdoor climbing day!
If it is safe in September to hold the event, those details will be posted on their website and Facebook page.
