x
Breaking News
More () »

Camp is a field of dreams for deaf children

The Mike Bush Fantasy Baseball Camp for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing helps kids standout for their ability not their disability.

Our summers are often remembered in sounds and for many, the melody is baseball.

But it turns out, memories can be made even in the sounds of silence.

Welcome to the Mike Bush Fantasy Baseball Camp for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

"It's so much more than just baseball, "explains Camp Director Cari Dimovitz.

For almost 30 years, the camp has been a place where more than 1500 kids have been able to standout for their ability instead of their disability.

"It's a great self-esteem booster, "says Dimovitz. "It builds their confidence. It really helps them feel like they are a part of something."

11-year-old Cohen Murphy came here all the way from Canada and not just for the baseball.

"Like this guy right here, "says Murphy putting his arm around his friend Liam Collins.

Cohen and Liam have been coming to camp together for three years. They say this is one place where they don't feel different than the other kids.

" It just makes me feel at home, "Liam says.

Liam was born profoundly deaf.

"He was our first child and to get that kind of diagnosis you just don't really know where to go, "says Liz Collins, Liam's mom. "You don't really know where to turn."

By the time he was 10 months old, he had a cochlear implant which is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound. But apparently that's not the only thing he and Cohen have in common.

"They just had some little bond and they've been inseparable ever since, "says Cohen's mom Krista Colombo.

The camp started small with just a few kids but as all baseball lovers know, if you build it they will come. Now, former campers are coming back as volunteers."

"I go to a public school and I'm the only deaf kid there and other kids don't understand what it's like to be deaf, "explains volunteer and former camper Grace Hawks.

Hawks was just six when she first signed up. Now she's back as a 16 year old volunteer because of how special the camp made her feel.

"I wanted to come back because I wanted to share that with the campers, "she says.

It's not just the sound of runs, hits and errors that are making memories here. It's compassion, fun and friendship

"Being here, being around these kids you can really see and experience what a difference it's making for these children, "adds Dimovits.

For children who are deaf, the Fantasy Baseball camp is making it a whole new ballgame.

Before You Leave, Check This Out