HUDSON -- Stephanie Swailes caught her first fish this week but declined to follow the custom of kissing the fish before tossing it back into Lake Bloomington.

"Exciting," Swailes, 13, of Normal said Wednesday when asked what it was like to catch the fish.

Swailes was surrounded by Brittany Wells, 14, of Normal and Cassie Hill, 15, of Hudson, who encouraged Swailes as the girls fished off a dock in Lake Bloomington at Timber Pointe Outdoor Center.

Their fishing experience illustrated why they were among 50 children and teenagers from throughout Central Illinois at the Easter Seals camp. The camp - which began Sunday and will end today - is for 6- to 17-year-olds with cognitive disabilities, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, mental retardation and Down syndrome.

"The underlying purpose is the campers' growth as individuals," said program assistant Daniel "Popeye" Montgomery, a Virginia native who has worked at Timber Pointe for several summers.

"We want to get them out doing something that they haven't done before, but something that other people do, like fishing, so they become a part of the group," said Montgomery, who will be a graduate student in therapeutic recreation at Illinois State University. "It's making them feel just as important as anyone else."

Inclusion isn't just being included in activities but being around other campers and counselors who listen. Some people with disabilities are used to people avoiding them, he said.

"When they say something, the staff is responsive," he said. "They (the campers) feel included.

"Each camper who comes here really enjoys it. This is their Christmas."

Wells, whose disabilities include epilepsy and autism, played in the pool with Swailes and Hill, then painted a horse with Swailes before the girls went fishing.

"It's fun and we get to hang out with our friends," Wells said of the camp. "We get to ride the horses tomorrow."

"We always make new friends," said Swailes, who has ADHD. She also enjoyed archery and performing in a skit.

Hill, who has mental illness, enjoys swimming, fishing, the hayrack ride, hanging out with friends and helping. Hill, who has come to the camp since she was 6, is a leader-in-training and helped at Camp Limberlost earlier this summer.

Victoria Davis, 12, of Bloomington, who has balance and fine motor skills problems because of brain damage, enjoyed sharing her camp experiences with counselor-in-training Maggie Schopp, 15, of Bloomington.

"She's cute. She's nice. She's friendly," Davis said of Schopp.

Schopp, who wants to be a physical or occupational therapist, said she's learned a lot as she was paired with campers at Timber Pointe this summer.

"And the campers are great."

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Timber Pointe camps

The Easter Seals camp this week is among several camps this summer at Timber Pointe Outdoor Center, owned and operated by Easter Seals of Peoria/Bloomington. Nearly 1,500 people are going to camps, which include:

- Wilderness Endeavor for adults with brain injuries

- Camp Limberlost for kids who wouldn't go to camp otherwise

- Camp Takoda for kids with autism

- Easter Seals camps for adults, teens and children with developmental and physical disabilities

- Camp COCO for children with cancer and other blood disorders

- Camp Horizon for adults with physical disabilities

- Camp Warren Jyrch for kids with hemophilia

- Camp FunZone for kids with traumatic brain injuries

SOURCE: Daniel Montgomery, program assistant, Timber Pointe Outdoor Center