Thursday, March 28, 2024

2019 Ambergris Caye’s Camp Starfish brings joy to special island children

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The extra-special Ambergris Caye’s Camp Starfish 2019 began on Monday, July 8th at the Lions Den in San Pedro Town and will run until Saturday, July 13th. Under the yearly theme: “We are more alike than different,” the free one-week camp not only focuses on children with learning and physical disabilities but also provides them with an outlet to explore their creative abilities.
During each camp day, children and volunteers meet from 9AM to 12PM for a morning of fun-filled activities and interaction. The first day of camp, on Monday, July 8th, the theme was Rainforest and Ruins. Children got to engage in arts and crafts, creating rain sticks. The following day was a sports day theme, and campers were very active in playing different games such as sports bingo, musical chairs, relay games, and even making jerseys.
On Wednesday, July 10th, it was an Ocean Explorers Day theme. Campers were educated by American Crocodile Education Sanctuary (ACES) about the importance of protecting crocodiles and the essential role they play in the ecosystem. Later that day, the children engaged in some cool animal arts and crafts and bracelet creations. The following day, a beach bash was held for campers and volunteers at Caribbean Villas Hotel, where they enjoyed swimming, playing on the beach and eating delicious pizza.

On Friday, July 11th, an Appreciation Gala and Fashion show will celebrate the accomplishment of the camp. Starting at 5PM at the Lions Den, volunteers will have the chance to mingle with campers’ parents and guardians. The 6th Annual Ambergris Caye Camp Starfish will culminate with a parade through the main streets of San Pedro Town on Saturday, July 13th.
As per usual, Camp Starfish operates with the help of dedicated volunteers, and this year, the camp welcomes students from San Pedro High School and special education teachers from different parts of the USA. For this year’s camp, the special education teachers had more than 30 years of combined experience. Teachers experience ranged from inclusive education, adaptive curriculum, adapted physical education, applied behavior analysis, speech and language pathology, moderate disabilities, Special Olympics coaching, to severe disabilities. This year’s special education teachers included Forrest Moog, Tara Ellington, Alana Rici, Jordan Hall, Krysten Aborn, Samantha Harris, Sarah Bol, Tori Lane, Peyton Lindsey, Reed Boyd, and Maggie Siebert. Founder of Camp Starfish Dalia Alamilla told The San Pedro Sun that the cam
This is the sixth consecutive year the camp has been spreading awareness of various types of learning/physical disabilities while working with children who have special needs. Some of their past campers include children with Down syndrome, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), hydrocephalus, deaf/ hearing impaired, Visual impairment, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Spinal Cord Injuries, among other unique traits.
Ambergris Caye’s Camp Starfish would like to thank all the campers, volunteers and special education teachers who made this year’s camp another success! Special thanks go to the sponsors of the camp, who are San Pedro Town Council, Blue Water Grill, and Caribbean Villas.

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