Emily Rivera spends most of her life in a mask. At Trailways Camps, she sets it down.
Trailways Camps, a four-day camp for adults with special needs, was held this week at a leased campground in LaBelle. There were no limits on who can attend. The cost for the 4-day, 3-night camp is $2,800. Each camper gets a home visit and a medical assessment before arriving, and nurses and physical therapists volunteer on site.
Rivera, who has Level 1 autism spectrum disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, came last year as a camper. This year, she returned as a volunteer.
"Out in the world, I put on my mask," Rivera said. "I don't show myself, and so no one really knows that I have disabilities. But when I'm here, I can be my true self, and it feels like a weight off my shoulders."
Last year, Rivera was the one being welcomed. This year, she is the one doing the welcoming.
"As a camper, I got to experience the activities," she said. "I wanted to see the campers that were afraid to go horseback riding, that were afraid to get in the pool, actually go swimming, actually get on a horse. They were scared to do it, and then they did it, and they were like so proud of themselves."
That pride shows in the activities. The camp offers tie-dye, archery, swimming, horseback riding, fishing, team sports, a talent show and more. Things many campers have never been brave enough, or been given the chance, to try.
Jonathan Mancebo, 38, of Coral Springs, was born with cerebral palsy and lives on his own. This is his first camp. When asked what it felt like to ride a horse, he didn't need a second sentence.
"It felt amazing," Mancebo said.
Camp isn't only about the good days; when asked where he turns on his hardest days, he paused before answering.
"When I'm depressed, I just look to God," he said.
His camp counselor, Jake Schwendeman, 27, of Fort Myers, crouched beside Mancebo's wheelchair as the two talked. Schwendeman said he heard about the camp through a friend and didn't know what he was signing up for.
"It truly has been a blessing," Schwendeman said.
Many people shy away from this work, he said, because communication can be hard.
"Jonathan has a life too," Schwendeman said, "and it's just so special to get to know them and to learn about the things that they enjoy and love."
Behind the camp is a family's loss. Founder Sharon Miller and her husband, Jerry, raised two sons, Robert and Benjamin, who had intellectual disabilities and a rare disease, peroxisomal biogenesis disorder. They lived to 34 and 44. After they died, the Millers started a camp in Texas to honor Robert's life, then opened others in LaBelle and on Sanibel Island. Trailways has now run more than 70 camps. Miller said the need grows when school ends.
"As they rise to adulthood, they get lost," Miller said. "They're unidentifiable. Many of them just go home and sit on couches after special ed."
Waiting lists for assistance can be long, she added.
"We want people with special needs to be a part of the community," Miller said. "We want them to be special and value their unique gifts, just like our sons did. And we want them to be advocates for themselves."
With camp ending Thursday, Mancebo said he will definitely return. Asked what he'll miss most, he answered sharply.
"All the friendships that I built," Mancebo said.
Schwendeman said he will miss the relationships built among volunteers, counselors and campers, and especially the campers on his team.
Rivera's answer came through tears.
"This is why I really felt seen for the first time," she said. "I just feel so loved here, and I can be my true self without anyone judging me or thinking I'm different. It just means the world to me."
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