With a desire to find experience working with special needs children, Anna Gorges has found so much more joining Rainbows in June 2016 as a Camp Woodchuck Lead, where she works in Room 118 with kids age 15-21.
Only a couple weeks into Camp, Anna had no trouble bonding with the children right away. “I just love interacting with the kids and getting to know them. You really start to
know their unique personalities,” said Anna. Camp has brought many surprises to Anna, giving her a new perspective on children with special needs. “You really start to know their unique personalities and they are always surprising you with what they can do, not with what they can’t do,” said Anna. “It’s amazing seeing all the diversity in the children and how all of them play and work together.”
Working at a camp with children with special needs for the first time can be difficult to many, this includes Anna. “Sometimes dealing with certain kids’ special needs has been overwhelming, but as the summer goes on, I see myself understanding their disabilities and having more confidence working with them,” said Anna. Although taken back by the liveliness of Camp Woodchuck, Anna has found herself learning skills that she could not learn anywhere else. From supporting a child in a wheelchair to deescalating an attitude of an upset child, these skills will do her well for her future in Education.
As a junior at Fort Hayes State University studying Elementary Education with a minor in Special Education, a member of the Catholic Disciples of FHSU, and a Big at Big Brothers Big Sisters, Anna enjoys taking on new challenges, while continuing to dedicate 5 days a week at Camp Woodchuck. And though pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher, Anna plans to continue to work with Rainbows United in the future.
