Doing What Comes Naturally Katie Darby, Director of Aquatics Special Needs Programs at the YMCA, shared her ‘My Y’ story at our recent 20th Annual Strong Kids Golf Classic, thanking attendees and all Strong Kids donors for  their generosity to the Strong Kids Campaign and talking about how those gifts impact the lives of the children she works with, as well as her own life.   ‘A parent called me inquiring about camp programs that are available for children with special needs. I told her about the two programs that we offer.   One is a camp that allows children to be mainstreamed into our traditional summer camp with a ‘shadow’ thanks in part to an Inclusion Grant AND the other being Carousel Kids, which is a self-contained camp-like experience that is only for children with special needs and which has a 1-1 or 2-1 participant to staff ratio.    The mom gave this careful consideration and felt that Carousel Kids would probably be the better program for her four-year-old daughter. We went over some of the details and I then asked if she had any other questions?   She paused and then asked if it would be a problem if her daughter had very limited verbal skills.   I explained that our aides are highly trained and experienced professionals and it wouldn’t be a problem.   She then asked if it would be a problem that her daughter was in a wheelchair.   I said, no, that’s not a problem, we’ll make accommodations and modifications as needed so that she can participate in everything.   Then to my surprise, because for me there is no question that I will do whatever I can to ensure any child can be a part of the program, she burst into tears and told me that that the YMCA is the first place where her daughter’s condition wouldn’t be ‘a problem’.   She is so excited that her daughter will be able to have this experience and is so very grateful – telling me thank you numerous times.   And I am so grateful to be in a position where I can positively impact the lives of people like this four-year old child and her family, thanks to the work that we do at the YMCA.   So, you see, it’s not just the kids or the people we help who benefit from the programs.   It’s not just their families.   It’s the staff, it’s the volunteers, it’s other YMCA members who witness the amazing work that is being done here and who are touched by the difference that we are making in the lives of people in our community.   And we are only able to make a difference because of donors…and I’d like to say thank you…and so would some other people.' Please click here and hear for yourselves why your gift to the Strong Kids campaign is so very impactful. ‘ If you would like to make a gift to the Somerset Hills YMCA, please click here