CEDAR PARK, Texas (KXAN) — Dell Children’s hospital and YMCA partnered to provide the ninth annual Camp in Motion this summer, a chance for kids with physical limitations to get the full summer camp experience.

Brennan Foster, 14, has been going to Camp in Motion for the last four years. It’s something he looks forward to at the end of the school year. If you ask him which is better, camp or school, his answer is simple and emphatic.

“Camp! Of course,” Foster said with a smile.

His favorite activities at camp are archery, swimming, and fishing. It’s not just the activities that keep him coming back, but the friends he meets during his time at camp.

“It was awesome,” Foster said about meeting his friends at camp a year ago.

History of Camp in Motion

Camp in Motion started in 2015 as just one week during the summer to provide therapy services in a camp setting. It gives kids the opportunity to swim, play basketball, martial arts, and other summer camp activities.

“It’s really great that they can see other kids who have similar abilities and similar physical needs as themselves and see what every camper can do,” Megan Matos, a speech language pathologist at Dell Children’s hospital explained.

Now, the camp provides multiple weeks of camp with different age groups, and 2023 will be the inaugural year for an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) week. An AAC device helps kids who can not verbally communicate be able to communicate with others.

“Everybody is just here having a really great time enjoying it, learning some new skills, and participating in new activities,” Matos said.