LAKE GENEVA, WI (October 18, 2006) – Susan Barg started running in 1995 when her son, Aaron, was five years old. “I decided to be his legs,” she said.
Since then, Barg has run scores of races, including four marathons, for her severely disabled son. So when Aaron met his mother at the finish line of Covenant Point’s triathlon on August 6 – and they crossed the finish line together, hands raised – it’s no wonder Barg had to blink back tears.
“It was so special to have him at this race,” she said. “He had so much joy in being there.”
When the Barg family discovered that Covenant Point’s annual triathlon funds ministries on behalf of special needs campers, Susan got excited. She had completed a triathlon and was ready to try again when John Hjelm, also a member of the Evangelical Covenant Church in Libertyville, Illinois, told her about Covenant Point’s event.
Barg and her training partner, Twyla Becker, got busy training and raising money. Barg raised $1,000 – entrants are asked to raise $500. “Raising twice the suggested amount was easy because I had Aaron as a living example,” she said.
When the family realized that Covenant Point was a place they could be together, a place where Aaron could function in his wheelchair, they decided to attend family camp next summer.
“We were delighted to find that money has already been spent to modify the facilities,” Barg said. “They are beautiful. The bed, the bathroom, the shower, the ramps, the meals – it all worked for Aaron. We just walked into the dining hall as a family and enjoyed the meal.
“We realized we had found a place where we can go on a family vacation,” she added. “Aaron can be accommodated and it can be a vacation for all of us. It’s not fun to be in a hotel with Aaron – he needs a bed with rails and his food needs to be pureed. Everything is complicated. But family camp will be relaxing and fun.”
Aaron was born with Trisomy 13, also known as Pateau’s syndrome. The disorder usually results in death within the first year, but Aaron turned 16 in September. His parents and 13-year-old sister don’t take that for granted. “We celebrate his life every year with a big bash,” Susan said.
The Barg’s experience reflects what the camp hopes to achieve with triathlon funds. Now in its eight year, the event has generated almost $100,000, and has provided for many facility upgrades.
The funds also pay for caregivers. “I don’t know if Aaron would attend ‘regular’ camp by himself, with his dad as his caregiver” said Barg. “But he potentially could. He could participate on some level. He loves people, he loves being outside, he loves visually stimulating things. He could be happy and accommodated here.
“The most exciting thing about Covenant Point’s vision is that it helps people who have serious disabilities. Lots of programs include ways for people with special needs to join in, but most places cannot accommodate somebody like Aaron. I am encouraged that there is a place where the severely disabled have the opportunity to participate.”
To read an award-winning story on Aaron and what he has meant to his local congregation, see “Confirming Aaron” in the August 2005 issue of The Covenant Companion.
To learn more about Covenant Point’s ministry to special needs campers or to make a contribution to the ministry, please contact Bill Fish at 906-265-2117.
