Makyah steps foot in the deep end of the swimming pool for the first time. The cool water surrounds him and he is more than a little nervous.
The Ohio native, a 25-year-old high-functioning person with Down syndrome, has feared the water all his life. He is overcoming that fear with the help of iCan Shine, a nonprofit that hosts recreational skills camps for people with disabilities.
With pool noodles under his arms, Makyah wades further into the water. Soon he is floating on his own.
The witnesses are touched and inspired by the display of courage before them, but perhaps none more so than Makyah’s instructor, Georgia Starr — a Columbus native and Mississippi State University student who works for the nonprofit.
“He was very nervous and he was not happy,” Starr told Rotary Club of Columbus members Tuesday at Lion Hills Center. “By the end of the week and after lots of encouragement, and lots of courage by Makyah himself, we got him in the deep end floating on noodles by himself.”
iCan Shine offers three skills camps — biking, swimming and dancing — for people with disabilities.
Starr on Tuesday was promoting the upcoming swim camp at MSU, the first to be held there.
She got the idea for the camp after she started working for the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit last summer.
iCan Shine partners with local organizations such as universities, outreach groups and civic clubs, to bring the camps across the country. The host organizations reach out to the organization to establish the connection.
MSU began hosting the iCan Bike Camp in 2015 when the program director, Gregg Twietmeyer came to the school, according to the school’s website. Twietmeyer ran the camp for five years at Marshall University.
Starr connected with the nonprofit after learning about the bike program. As a swim instructor of seven years, she was naturally drawn to the swim camp. With there being no swim camp in the area, she traveled throughout the country teaching at the different locations that offered swimming.
However, she began to think about the need for a swim camp in the area.
“I applied and started working last summer and fell in love with the work and realized that we needed a swim program here,” she said. “So, after lots of meetings with a lot of people in the Kinesiology department, we got the funds and got it going.”
MSU’s camp will be held May 22-26.
The program costs about $8,000 to $10,000 to put on. It is being funded by the Kinesiology Department.
The cost per swimmer is $100 but there are scholarship opportunities available.
“We like to have scholarships for families, especially in Mississippi and other rural areas,” Starr said.
The program focuses on helping the students learn to swim, but also teaching them water safety and how to keep themselves safe.
“Our goal is to help swimmers reach their individual aquatic goal,” Starr said. “Before the camp even starts, we contact the parents and ask them to work with their child on what aquatic goals they want to reach. Some kids I worked with just wanted to be able to sit in the pool without being nervous. Some kids wanted to learn all four strokes. It just varied depending on each individual. We really focus on water safety too. It’s really important to us that they understand what the rules of the pool are, and how to get out of the pool if they fall in.”
The camp has a capacity for 30 participants. So far, Starr said, 10 have signed up. All participants must have a diagnosed disability.
Starr also noted the camp needs volunteers to maintain a one-to-one ratio with swimmers. The five-day camp has five classes per day.
“We always need volunteers,” Starr said. “To keep the swimmer above the water is the main (responsibility). But you work one-on-one with the swimmer to help them.”
For more information about registering or volunteering, visit icanshine.org.
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