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I am sending this letter to you [Scottish Rite Foundation of Colorado] to applaud your generous contribution to the Talking with Technology camp held this summer (July 2004). I am one of the graduate students from the University of Colorado-Boulder who was a trainer at the camp.

This summer was my first experience working with a child with a communication disorder that required the use of an Augmentative Communication device (computer), and that experience is one that I will remember forever. It was only the second time that my camper, Sarah, had attended camp. Her personal care attendant, her grandmother, as well as the rest of her family worked very hard to get her there. Both were very determined to make the week a wonderful learning experience as well as a time for Sarah to enjoy being a kid. I believe the three of us, working together, were able to achieve that goal. In addition, while I sought to teach Sarah how to use her device more effectively, by the end of the week, I realized that she was also teaching me many things, too. Sarah’s spirit was amazing.

Thus, I am thanking you for allowing that relationship to occur. Without the generous donation, it would have been a struggle for me and my camper’s personal care attendant to come to camp. I cannot thank you enough for all your foundation has done. My experience at the camp is something that I will be able to take with me as I begin my career as a speech-language pathologist, and I know that my camper and her personal care attendant also enjoyed the experience immensely. You have touched each of our lives in different ways.