Working with special needs has changed my life

It’s June 30, around 11:30 p.m. and I lay wide awake in my bed. My alarm clock is set for the next morning as I do everything I can to force myself to go to sleep.

1 a.m.

1:45 a.m.

2:53 a.m.

After sleeping in short intervals throughout the night, my alarm clock finally rings loudly at 7:45 a.m. and I sit up with a jolt. As I look outside and see daylight, I feel a smile widen across my face.

I get to go to work today.

That’s what life is like for me five weeks every year. Over the past four years, I've spent five weeks in July and August as a camp counselor at Teen Adventure in Howell Township. Teen Adventure is a program for people with special needs, ranging from early teenagers to adults in their 30’s.

Having the privilege to have had this job has changed my life. Every morning for those five weeks, I wake up excited, happy, thrilled, and relieved that I get to drive two-and-a-half minutes to Echo Lake Park and see a group of the most amazing people I have ever met, and probably will ever meet.

The camp entails being with kids with all different diagnoses, from Down Syndrome to Autism and everything in between. Most days, we travel to different places on trips. We go to Point Pleasant Beach, we go to Hurricane Harbor and Six Flags, Candlewood Swim Club, Howell Lanes, and so much more.

To put it simply: it’s the best job in the world. But the best part isn't about getting paid to go on water slides or roller coasters. It’s getting paid to spend time with the most influential, heart-warming, beautiful people.

Sure, the job isn't always easy. As one of three male counselors out of 12 in total, there can be some rough days. When we go to the swim club or Hurricane Harbor, it’s usually on the three of us to help some 15 or so campers change into and out of clothes. On other trips, we usually have to always be ready to take someone to the bathroom at any time, regardless of where we are. But I’ll spend as many hours as I have to in the bathroom with these kids over any job that could be offered to me. Sometimes, we get stared down by a group of kids that don’t quite understand the campers like we do. A few years ago, a kid thought the noises that were coming out of the bathroom stall we were in was funny, so when we stepped out, I kindly told him that I had Taco Bell the night before and it certainly didn't agree with my stomach.

The kid walked out, no longer laughing, but the camper I was with had the biggest smile on his face, and I wouldn't trade that for the world. He thought I really did go to Taco Bell.

I started this job as an 18-year-old kid, and honestly, the hefty responsibilities that came with it was something I don’t think I was ready for at that age. But I learned quickly. I learned, first and foremost, the quickest way to help someone in and out of a bathroom. I learned how to communicate with different people and regardless how someone looks, acts, or expresses themselves, everyone is beautiful.

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When people that aren't associated with the camp, usually my friends, ask me how I do it, there is always one question that comes to my mind.

“Ever see them smile?”

That simple response is all I need to say about this job. It’s always nice to make someone smile in your average, everyday job, but to make one of the campers smile is uplifting – and it isn't hard. These guys come to camp every day with smiles ringing from ear-to-ear. We barely even have to say hello to them in the morning. That smile says everything and describes just how amazing they are. Those smiles are the greatest examples of love and are the most beautiful things I’ll ever see.

Because of this job, I've had an amazing opportunity to spend time with some of the campers outside of camp. One boy named Glen, has become, truly, one of my best friends. We spend time regularly with each other throughout the year and it’s those days that I look forward to more than any other. We might just walk around the mall, go to the arcade, or play miniature golf, but it’s the most fun that I have and it’s my escape, just for a few hours, from the daily stresses of life.

Glen and I regularly talk on the phone, we text, we talk on Facebook; I can’t even explain how lucky I am to have him in my life. It doesn't matter how long I work as a camp counselor, Glen is someone that I will be with for the rest of my life, and he’s impacted my life in a way that no one else ever could.

On my birthday in November, Glen called me to wish me a happy birthday, but that was only part of it. He quickly wanted to tell me how upset he was that he left his backpack on the bus. I reassured him that it wasn't the end of the world and that his backpack would be returned to him shortly. He left the conversation much happier than when it started, and that was a gift in itself to me.

Another girl, Ashley, is a camper who has positively changed my life forever. Aside from working as a camp counselor for Ashley, I also help out and take her to activities that she participates in, pick her up from other places, and hang out with her occasionally throughout the year. I haven’t kept in contact with someone from camp as much as I do with her. We’re always talking on Facebook, texting, or talking on the phone. And as minuscule as those conversations may be, they get me through every hard thing that may be happening in my life. One text I received from Ashley once said: “you are my favorite person on the planet.” If that doesn't put words to the type of person she is, nothing will. She is the sweetest person I have ever met and I can’t express how lucky I am that she values me as much as she does. I will, undoubtedly, keep in touch and stay close with Ashley for as long as she can bear it. And I have a feeling that will be a long time.

Glen and Ashley are just two examples of 36 kids that we have the special opportunity to be with every day. As amazing as they are, there are that many kids that are just like them in one way or another. Like I said, it doesn't get much better than that.

I’m 22 years old. Right now, being a parent is nowhere near my mind, but working at a camp like this gives me an opportunity to see what true parenting is. Some of these parents, with special needs children in their upper-20’s, are more devoted to them than the average parent is to a younger child. Some of the parents, like Glen’s and Ashley’s, I have had the pleasure to get to know well, and they are my inspiration. Behind every amazing child is an amazing mother or father that stood behind them since day one -- and there's plenty of that within this program.

When the day comes, hopefully awhile down the road, to be a parent, I’ll remember every little thing that I observed from these parents. They are amazing.

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It would be a disservice to this column to not mention the people that I actually work with: my coworkers. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't even have this job anymore. I probably wouldn't have lasted more than one day in my first year. Unlike myself, many of the other counselors have had first-hand experiences with special needs. Most of them are teachers – or are working to become teachers – and I admire their teaching techniques and patience that they use every day -- they are talents that I don't possess.

Most of the time, even after four years of experience in this field, I simply observe my coworkers during the normal camp day. They teach me, at an exponential rate, how to handle different situations and I can’t express how much that has helped me. Some of the counselors are actually siblings of campers or other people with special needs, and they are unbelievable with the kids. From knowing what to say to make a camper happy, to understanding when it’s right to be assertive and when it’s right to sit back and let a situation play out, these people are incredible. These counselors have done this as a job for their entire lives and there is absolutely no one better at it than the few that I work with. How can I feel good about myself as a person for spending time with these guys for five weeks, when these people have done it forever and are damn-near perfect at it.

Personally, I’m super-appreciative of the male counselor(s) I have worked with over those four years. They've helped me tremendously over my time and have helped me mature an incredible amount. Male counselors have come and gone through my time there, so it’s extra special to be someone that can handle all the responsibilities and enjoy it – and I owe that to the other guys I've worked with.

All of us have had the privilege to work under a site director that doesn't act like a boss, but more like a best friend. She has been with the program since its inception, and no one knows the camp, the campers, the counselors, or anything associated with it better than her. She is the engine behind the train and never fails to help any of us in a moment’s notice. If I ever became a leader on any sort of job, she would be the person to model after and that fits perfectly into this type of camp.

This camp wouldn't exist if it weren't for the people that put their hard work into it every day. I feel guilty when someone compliments me about being good with the campers, because every part of that is credited to my lifelong friends that I work with. Aside from missing the campers, I miss all of these people tremendously throughout the year. They, too, are life-changers.

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If you need proof to how amazing this job is, re-read this and count how many times I've written the phrase, “I can’t express” or “I can’t even describe.” I get paid to put thoughts into words, and when it comes to my summer job, it is impossible to do so. That speaks for itself.

If you ever have an opportunity to work with special needs, my message is this: don’t pass it up. I wish I could work with them year-round for the rest of my life. It’s not always an easy job, but nothing is more rewarding. Nothing.

As for me, I’ll wait around until next July. We meet up during Halloween, Christmas, and the springtime with the campers for get-togethers, but it’s just a tease. When July comes, it will all come back to those restless nights waiting for my alarm to go off each morning, that same smile across my face.

And I know that smile extends to my 12 coworkers and 36 campers, too.