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Deaf children enjoy tradition of summer camp out - Santa Cruz Sentinel
For a group of 15 families with young children camping at the KOA on San Andreas Road, one might expect a lot of loud talking or yelling around the campfire.
This group, however, waved their hands and smiled to communicate with each other while enjoying the traditions of a summer camp-out -- smores, tug of war, water balloon fights, a scavenger hunt and other games.
Family and Children's Services, a 60-year-old nonprofit based in San Jose, organized the camping trip for the deaf and hard of hearing children they serve in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, most of whom come from low-income families.
Family and Children's Services offers a variety of affordable counseling, education and prevention programs.
For many of the children, the Saturday overnight trip to the campground near La Selva Beach was their first chance to sleep in a tent or cabin.
"This is the first time for us. We have no experience camping," said Annie Chou, whose son Alvin, 7, was born unable to hear. "He loves it. He says to me, Can we stay one more day?' "
Evette Ybarra, the nonprofit's program director, is hard of hearing. She says there were few activities and outings for her and her deaf peers while growing up in Santa Clara County. She fondly recalls camping in Santa Cruz County as a kid and wanted to share the experience with the children she works with every day.
"This is all-inclusive for the families," Ybarra said Sunday. "I wanted them to have something fun to do that's not at home."
The children also played bingo and competed with one another in a pie-eating contest.
On Sunday morning, they gathered in a circle as Ibarra explained the rules of the scavenger hunt using American Sign Language. Competition was pretty tough as the families were vying to win gift certificates to restaurants such as the Cheesecake Factory.
"It's just something to give families a taste of what's out there," program assistant Marlene Tamayo said. "The camping trip is a way to empower the families."
For a group of 15 families with young children camping at the KOA on San Andreas Road, one might expect a lot of loud talking or yelling around the campfire.
This group, however, waved their hands and smiled to communicate with each other while enjoying the traditions of a summer camp-out -- smores, tug of war, water balloon fights, a scavenger hunt and other games.
Family and Children's Services, a 60-year-old nonprofit based in San Jose, organized the camping trip for the deaf and hard of hearing children they serve in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, most of whom come from low-income families.
Family and Children's Services offers a variety of affordable counseling, education and prevention programs.
For many of the children, the Saturday overnight trip to the campground near La Selva Beach was their first chance to sleep in a tent or cabin.
"This is the first time for us. We have no experience camping," said Annie Chou, whose son Alvin, 7, was born unable to hear. "He loves it. He says to me, Can we stay one more day?' "
Evette Ybarra, the nonprofit's program director, is hard of hearing. She says there were few activities and outings for her and her deaf peers while growing up in Santa Clara County. She fondly recalls camping in Santa Cruz County as a kid and wanted to share the experience with the children she works with every day.
"This is all-inclusive for the families," Ybarra said Sunday. "I wanted them to have something fun to do that's not at home."
The children also played bingo and competed with one another in a pie-eating contest.
On Sunday morning, they gathered in a circle as Ibarra explained the rules of the scavenger hunt using American Sign Language. Competition was pretty tough as the families were vying to win gift certificates to restaurants such as the Cheesecake Factory.
"It's just something to give families a taste of what's out there," program assistant Marlene Tamayo said. "The camping trip is a way to empower the families."