Charlie Wirth enjoyed summer camp with its activities and reuniting with friends. This July was his 12th year as a participant in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Regional Sports for Health program held at the Land of the Vikings resort in Sherman, Pa.
“My favorite activity was tandem biking, followed by canoeing, kayaking and swimming,” said Wirth, who is 87 years old and totally blind. “The food was excellent and plentiful and the staff was very accommodating.”
Sports for Health and its winter program, Ski for Light, is an international nonprofit organization that provides guided instruction and assistance in a variety of sports for individuals with visual and mobility impairments.
Wirth formerly lived in Toms River and now resides at Seabrook Village, Tinton Falls. He said he was born with poor sight and became totally blind in 1972 due to a variety of eye ailments, including glaucoma.
He learned about Sports for Health and Ski for Light from a newsletter published by the New Jersey Library for the Blind.
“Its great exercise and I’m looking forward to returning and participating in cross-country skiing this winter,” said Wirth. “I’d recommended it to anyone.”
In 1999, Wirth’s guide was Sandy Mack, a Freehold Borough resident and former second grade teacher at the Freehold Learning Center elementary school, Freehold Borough. Since meeting at that first summer camp, they have become friends.
“Charlie is just unbelievable in what he can do in sports and his extent of knowledge,” Mack said. “It’s people like Charlie that keeps me coming back for nine years now. The participants are patient and so appreciative for any assistance. Plus, it’s great fun to be there with them. It’s like a family that extends beyond the camps.”
Mack and her husband, Eddie, are sports enthusiasts and learned about the programs from a fellow bike club member of the Jersey Shore Touring Society.
“It’s a wonderful program with so much to do,” said Mack, who is retired from teaching.
Mack said most of the women and men who participate are visually impaired and there is no upper age limit for the program.
Mack, who is a guide for the summer and winter programs, said everyone volunteers their services and pays for their week’s lodging. The only extra charge is for horse back riding, she said. The average group is about 40 people in total.
Sports for Health started in 1978 with a small sports program, but now has activities that include hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, sailing, target shooting, scuba diving, yoga and more. Among the social activities offered are square dancing, DJ dancing, a hayride, bonfires and a talent show.
Sports for Health/Ski for Light receives funding for its programs from individuals, corporations and the generosity of the Sons of Norway lodges and members. Joan Chelsen is a board member and the Sports for Health coordinator for the Northeastern Pennsylvania Region.
“I started out as a guide 15 years ago,” she said. “The camps are like family reunions with guides and participants enjoying the adventures of sports.”
Chelsen said that as a guide she had the pleasure of teaching and watching a participant toss a horseshoe.
“I took for granted such a simple thing or riding a bike whenever I wanted. I don’t anymore after I see the appreciation of the participants,” she said.
Chelsen said the camp’s motto is “If I can do this, I can do anything.” Participants gain confidence and independence, she said, as well as achieving skills in sports.
The participants and guides mainly come from the northeastern states with a few coming from as far away as California, Michigan and Florida. Some people come for only a few days or just the day. Everyone, she said, pays their own way, although there is limited financial assistance for participants with impairments.
“We are always in need of guides because the number of guides determines how many participants we can have,” said Chelsen. “Firsttime guides receive training.”
The summer and winter one-week programs are held in the Land of the Vikings lodge that is owned and operated by the Sons of Norway. Land of the Vikings is in a valley on about 150 acres surrounded by 5,000 acres of state-owned land. The Delaware River is nearby and Binghamton, N.Y., is about 25 miles away.
For more information about Sports for Health/Ski for Light, call 1-718-477-7477 or click on www.sfl.org. for the winter program.