University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Football Hosts ACT Children's Camp
July 20, 2003 | Football
July 20, 2003
KNOXVILLE -- For the ninth consecutive year, campers from the Amputees Coming Together (A.C.T.) program of East Tennessee visited campus July 20, as they gathered in the Wolf-Kaplan Center and had fun with UT football players Jarod Parrish, Turk McBride, Parys Haralson and Ovince Saint Preux on Shields-Watkins Field in Neyland Stadium.
The youngsters played catch with the Vols players, kicked field goals with the players as human goal posts and got plenty of pizzas and souvenirs during the afternoon on the field.
"The kids look forward to it," coordinator Missy Burke said. "It's like an extension of the camp we had this week in Bryson City, N.C. They really like coming here to see the facilities and become Vols fans."
Delicia Miller of Oliver Springs, who has attended the camp the past nine years despite being in a wheelchair, said attending the camp was "like a new adventure every day."
Burke, who is a physical therapist in Winchester, Va., said the program gives children new vistas. "Some have never been away from home or been in the water. They go whitewater rafting, go on a rope challenge course, and go waterskiing. They also go swimming."
She said about half of the campers return each year. They hear about the camp from word-of-mouth or from their prosthetist, who encourage them to participate.
Burke said this year's camp was one of 14 agencies funded in part by former Vols quarterback Peyton Manning, as part of the PayBack Foundation, four of which were in Tennessee.
