CAMAS — On one of the warmest, sunniest days so far this year, the Lacamas Heritage Trail in Camas teemed with joggers, dog walkers and people shaking off winter with a stroll along Lacamas Lake.
Every few minutes, a trail user stopped to greet a group of young adults with developmental disabilities who walk on Thursday afternoons with their Mountain Tops fitness class.
Mountain Tops volunteer Angela Fadlovich of Camas said she loves seeing passersby offer high-fives and encouragement to the Mountain Tops participants.
“This is easily my favorite hour of the week,” Fadlovich said.
With Mountain Tops expanding its offerings, the program’s founder and head fitness instructor Kiley Hauck is looking for even more volunteers.
Mountain Tops recently added a Wednesday evening adventure club with more advanced hiking in April and May. The program also is venturing into extracurricular activities, including kayaking, rock climbing and overnight camping during the summer months.
Hauck also became certified to provide respite care through a statewide program that offers vouchers for families with children who have developmental disabilities.
Volunteers don’t need any fitness knowledge or a background in special education, Hauck said, just a desire to help the athletes, who range in age from late teens to early 30s.
“If you have experience, it’s great, but you don’t need it,” Hauck said. “Talking with me is the first step. And we’ll need to do a background check. But I want people to feel comfortable, so I always encourage them to come try a class.”
Inclusive fitness
Hauck said she launched Mountain Tops in 2022 to “build confidence, camaraderie and various movement skills” for people 16 and older who have physical, mental or emotional developmental disabilities.
Hauck, who owns Pacific Peaks Fitness, was teaching workout classes at Lacamas Lake Lodge when a few participants approached her with an unusual request.
“They said the gym working with their sons, who had Down syndrome, had closed and moved to Battle Ground, and would I be interested in doing a class for them?” Hauck said.
She earned her adaptive training certification and began offering a class to five athletes with her co-worker, Judy Sparling, a Vancouver educator who had experience working with children with special needs.
“We met once a week, on Tuesdays, March through May, just the seven of us, at the lodge, and it was a beautiful time,” Hauck said.
The Mountain Tops program has grown exponentially since then and now includes more than 30 young adults with a range of developmental disabilities.
Debbie Thomas enrolled her 22-year-old daughter, Breanna, after she aged out of her school district’s extended classes for young adults with developmental disabilities.
“Breanna loves fitness — she is my girl who likes to be out doing anything and everything — and we’d never seen anything like this,” Thomas said. “She was super excited.”
Thomas is now one of Hauck’s dedicated volunteers.
“Not only have I been able to watch Breanna grow and thrive, but I get to watch the other athletes come into themselves,” Thomas said.
Thomas said her daughter has told her she loves meeting other Mountain Tops athletes and hopes the weight-training exercises the group does every Tuesday will help her “stay healthy and get strong for hiking and backpacking.”
“Breanna loves to go to Mountain Tops,” Thomas said. “She and I have enjoyed every second of it. This is such a fantastic group of human beings.”
‘Joy in the everyday’
Mountain Tops volunteers said it’s easy to become hooked on the program.
“I feel like I hit the jackpot,” said Gypsy Martin, a Camas resident and Mountain Tops volunteer. “It’s amazing and so life-giving to be there. It’s so joyful.”
Martin joined Mountain Tops as a volunteer last summer after her two sons left for college, and Martin became an empty-nester. Now, she said, she looks forward to her Tuesday and Thursday volunteer sessions.
“It’s nice to be around folks who are positive and happy to be with their friends,” Martin said. “During those classes, the athletes are so supportive of one another. They are always checking in with each other.”
Martin said the experience has given her a new perspective on life.
“I’m definitely not sweating the little things so much,” Martin said. “I’m finding joy in the everyday and in the power of encouraging one another.”
For some Mountain Tops volunteers, the program also offers hands-on experience for their future careers.
Makena Campbell, a 2022 La Center High School graduate, is studying elementary education with an endorsement in special education at Washington State University Vancouver. She recently transitioned from a volunteer to a paid Mountain Tops staffer.
“I love it so much,” Campbell said. “It’s amazing to get to know these young adults and see them making progress. They can do anything they put their minds to.”
The Mountain Tops volunteers all say they are learning patience and out-of-the-box communications styles through their work with the program’s participants. They encourage people who are even slightly interested in the program to consider signing up as a volunteer.
“It’s a great way to step out of your comfort zone and meet people in this community,” volunteer Kolby Hunt said. “Just come and be comfortable learning something new. Be willing to ask questions and come with an open mind.”
Thomas highly recommends volunteering with the program.
“It’s life-changing in all the right ways,” she said. “Just being around these young people’s energy is uplifting.”
