In the words of Kids of Courage camper Josh Kietz, “Wow!”
There really is no other way to describe the awe-inspiring scene that was Kids of Courage showing its true colors in five different states over four days on the group’s annual four-day winter adventure.
Over 200 Couragers, some from the Teaneck area, traveled through New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont for an extended weekend of fun, relaxation and adaptive skiing!
Kids of Courage’s first stop on Thursday, January 7, was New Roc City, where crutches were dropped and air hockey paddles were raised in their stead; where wheelchairs whizzed through a maze of flashing lights as campers and counselors alike took up arms together in a laser tag battle. Shrieks of delight could be heard through the complex, letting everyone around know that this was just the beginning of what was sure to be an amazing weekend.
That night (at the beautiful Doubletree in Leominster, Massachusetts) brought shocked faces and sheer disbelief as the magical Matt Roberts levitated tables, found cards in mysterious places and taught the K.O.C. gang baffling tricks. On Friday, the group traveled to the Museum of Science in Boston, where Couragers got a behind-the-scenes look at how Pixar movies are made, how lightning works and just how much snow Boston gets on a weekly basis (hint: A LOT).
Shabbos was one for the record books. There was delicious food, cooked up by Nosson Schultz of Creations Catering, booming zemiros, sung by Rabbi Akiva Pollack, and a relaxed and fun-filled environment, far away from hospital rooms and medical procedures.
After Havdala, the K.O.C. crew changed into costumes and rocked the house with the great Uri Davidi! According to witnesses on the ground, the dancing never stopped throughout the entire concert. Wheelchairs were lifted into the air, oxygen tanks zoomed across the dance floor, and five-year-old Aryeh P. stole the spotlight for an adorable solo.
Couragers were up before 6 on Sunday morning to make the journey to Mt. Snow in Vermont, where the gotta-see-them-to believe-them AbilityPLUS had a record-breaking 180 volunteers waiting to applaud the campers as they entered the ski lodge. This special group of ski instructors even brought many of their children along to be part of this very special day.
Once again, Kids of Courage’s Ski Madness adventure was proof to Robert Heinlein’s famous words, “Everything is theoretically impossible, until it is done.”
Children who have never taken a step in their lives could be seen zooming down the slopes on special bi-skis provided by AbilityPLUS; a blind young girl fearlessly zigzagged through the snow, with the instructors guiding her and her caring counselor gliding close behind.
“I’ve heard amazing stories about Kids of Courage’s famous Ski Day,” said a new Kids of Courage staff member, “but I never would have imagined such selflessness existed if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. The smiles created on these slopes will forever be one of my greatest memories.”
On a Sunday in January the impossible was done, thanks to the joint efforts of AbilityPLUS, Mount Snow and Kids of Courage volunteers.
For more information about Kids of Courage, please visit kidsoc.org. To make a donation and help create smiles on the faces of seriously ill children, please visit kidsoc.org/donate.
