Camp Koinonia, a site for a week-long outdoor education program for disabled children, recently came to a close for this year. The event was organized, planned, and conducted by more than 150 students for their Recreational and Leisure Studies class, but the camp was more than just schoolwork to the students.

"Many of the staff this year said to me: 'This is greatest thing I do with life every year.' The way a camper or counselor touches an individual's life is an impact that will stay with that person through out life," said Kristin Bradley, Camp Koinonia's 2008 program director.

Camp Koinonia ran from April 6-11 at the Clyde M. York 4-H Training Center in Crossville, Tenn.

"In the three years I have participated I have seen students find themselves and change their majors to Recreation Therapy so they can do this for the rest of their lives," Bradley said. "I have seen a little girl discover grass and the guitar for the first time; I have seen a little boy's confidence grow with everyday he spent at camp, and I have watched parents break into tears when they realize what their child was able to do at camp."

During the week the children participated in activities planned and conducted by the students. Some of the activities included horseback riding, canoeing, music and movement, cooking, nature crafts, sports and games, sensory activities, hay rides, skits and a big dance, said Gene Hayes, an exercise, sport and leisure studies professor who helped found Camp Koinonia.

"The activities are planned so that all children can participate regardless of their disability or limitations," Hayes said.

Bradley said, "The smile on their face when they achieve something that most people never thought possible is the most rewarding."

Some of the disabilities and limitations the campers struggle through include hearing impairment, visual impairment, mental retardation, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, and autism.

To get involved with the experience of Camp Koinonia, students can enroll in Recreational and Leisure Studies 425 or 592.

"Students must take the class to be properly prepared to spend a week away from campus working with a child with a disability on a 24/7 basis," Hayes said.

Bradley said that by the end of the week most of the students and campers had formed an unbreakable and unforgettable bond with one another. She said this happens every year at Camp Koinonia.

"Usually by the end of the week, both camper and counselor are crying because they do not want to leave," Bradley said.

The majority of the campers are from Knox, Anderson and Blount Counties, but a few individuals come from other areas in East Tennessee.

"There are no geographical boundaries from which we draw campers," Hayes said.

The Camp Koinonia program was originally developed in 1977 at Virginia Tech. The camp's purpose and mission since that time has been to provide a 'caring community' for campers in sense of true 'fellowship' which is what the Greek word "Koinonia" stands for, according to the camp's Web site.