The Fundraising Page of Jessica Fernandez

My most memorable experience at camp was during my first year when I served as a Mountain Biking Specialist. There was a 14 year old boy that came to the rotation, and he didn't look like he wanted to be there. When it was time to go bike riding, he refused to ride with everyone else. I stayed behind with him and that's when he told me that he didn't know how to ride a bike. He had never even been on a bike as large as the bikes we had there. He told me that he had taught himself to ride in one direction, by using his older sister's boyfriend's BMX-style bike. Because of his neighborhood, he couldn't take the bike outside of the apartment complex. He would take the bike out to the hallway and pedal forward, reach the end of the hallway, get off, turn the bike, and pedal forward again. He asked if I could teach him how to turn. I was so moved by his story and determination. My goal that week was to teach him how to ride a bike and by the end of the week, he learned how to ride completely. Every year there's 5-10 kids who have never learned how to ride a bike in a given session. There's SEVEN separate sessions we carry during each camp season so we are helping A LOT of kids. The camp session I am volunteering for this summer focuses on proper fitness, eating habits, and body image to address childhood obesity and associated preventable diseases. The program will provide campers with challenging new experiences in order to foster personal growth and development of skills necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle.