Opening the world of words and books to your children sets them on a path of personal and academic growth that will last a lifetime. Reading is also quality time spent together when they're young, and a passion you can share as they get older. Here are some simple tips to make reading part of the fabric of your family's everyday life:

• Be an enthusiastic reader yourself
• Make reading fun: let your kids pick the book, use funny voices
• Make regular outings to the library
• Help your child find books that match his or her interests—bugs Medieval knights, science fiction, hot air balloons—the world’s your oyster

Camp is for Everyone
The adventure, challenges and camaraderie of a camp experience build confidence and memories that last a lifetime. This is particularly true for those who deal daily with a mental or physical handicap or disease. The opportunity to try new things, to test limits, to enjoy the outdoors, to be among others who can appreciate your experience but ultimately to just be a camper, is a precious one.

Enter YMCA Camp Kon-O-Kwee/Spencer in Pennsylvania, which has developed innovative adaptive camping programs to serve the particular needs of a variety of non-traditional populations, children and adults. Campers dealing with blindness, severe burns, heart disease, cerebral palsy, kidney disease, amputation (the climbing wall is a favorite among this group), mental retardation, hearing impairment, muscular dystrophy, as well as social and emotional disorders, come together at Kon-O-Kwee/Spencer to spend time in a fun, accepting atmosphere. Camp sessions are also dedicated to children experiencing the death of a parent, children living outside the home or in foster care and children with family members deployed to Iraq.

YMCA Camp Kon-O-Kwee/Spencer is proud to serve a larger segment of the special-needs population than any other similar program in the United States. ▼