For most people, talking to a friend or acquaintance is easy, and though it may be more difficult for some, talking to strangers is possible, too. The brain is naturally able to understand and deliver questions to others.

However, there are people struggling with simple tasks like these daily. And these people aren’t just names written in an article or faces seen on the news. They are people living right next door and around the corner from you.

These kids and teens with disabilities, ranging from mental to physical, attend events held by Camp Raspberry here at Pascack Valley and at Pascack Hills. With the help from many wonderful mentors along the way, high school students that participate in this club are able to learn more about children with disabilities and learn from these children in the process.

Camp Raspberry is a volunteer club in which high schoolers within the Pascack Valley District are able to act as counselors and spend time with local kids that struggle with special needs.

The events occur about once a month on Friday nights or Saturday mornings. Each event has a theme which often correspond with approaching holidays. Crafts, games, and snacks are a few aspects of these events, which also coincide with the holidays. Festive songs are listened to, special visitors surprise the kids, and movies are played on Fridays.

Mrs. Christie Rossig, Pascack Valley High School’s Student Assistance Counselor, founded Camp Raspberry at Pascack Hills in 2008. She, along with Mrs. Christine Gorman, Mrs. Flannery, and Mrs. Rosko, are the supervisors of the club today. They help to educate teenage counselors about how to work with children with special needs before events actually start, creating a safe environment for everyone in attendance each time. The service Rossig provides the high schoolers with does not go unnoticed.

“I think between Rossig’s passion for every kid through little things like knowing the names of almost all 150 volunteers and 30 children really drew me in,” Holly Aloi, a Pascack Valley sophomore and a member of the executive board of Camp Raspberry, said. “It’s amazing that she’s able, just through her love for the club, to draw in more people like me.”

She explained the opportunities that the high schoolers are presented with through the club, such as working with kids that have special needs and fulfilling leadership spots. Such opportunities enable the enrolled teenagers to shape the program in the best way they see fit.

“We’re servicing the needs of the campers with a fun day. But that’s just a portion,” Rossig said.

It is also way for the high school kids to get community service hours, explore career paths that may otherwise be ignored, and learn essential life lessons.

“The kids usually wouldn’t be able to have normal interactions, but I love being able to give them a new perspective on life,” Aloi said. She believes that this is one of the most important and inspirational aspects of the club from a counselor’s perspective.

As the SAC counselor, Rossig looks at being a part of Camp Raspberry as risk prevention for anyone struggling with addiction. With such a positive environment at each event, she believes that negative behavior patterns can be stopped, even if it’s just to act as role models for the kids.

“Going to Camp Raspberry and spending time with these kids shows you the important things in life,” Aloi said. “So I really love how they can unintentionally teach you life lessons far beyond their years.”