Aidan’s Enthusiasm For HIA Summer Camp!

Registration for our Hearts in Action Summer Camps opened up for all families at the beginning of the month. Aidan was one of many participants who benefitted last year, so we wanted to take a moment to share his story.

Aidan has made many friends through his participation in hockey, baseball and swimming lessons.  A strong swimmer, he learned how to swim at level 4 in two weeks of lessons! He is currently teaching himself guitar and has a keen interest in trains and dinosaurs and developed a passion for storm chasing!

In 2024, Aidan had received funding for the first time to attend Hearts in Action Summer Camps. Aidan experienced negative interactions at school; however, at camp, his mom reported he was able to truly be himself and enjoy the experience of being treated like an ordinary teenager rather than being defined by his diagnosis.

He would arrive each morning eager to share something new with the AdaptAbilities team and participants, including a giant beach ball, nerf guns and a guitar! His enthusiasm for camp was truly infectious every single day.

AdaptAbilities provided Aidan with many opportunities to gain new experiences that he may not have been able to have without camps, such as attending K Days for the first time ever!  Aidan gained more experience using ETS to go out into the community and became more comfortable with public transit.

At the beginning, Aidan was very shy, but by the end of his experience he had made a lot of friends in the group and got a few participants’ contact information so he could stay in touch.

Since attending camp, Aidan’s independence and confidence at home has increased and we hope to he continues to grow as we plan to welcome Aidan back this summer!