“On your mark. Get set. Go!” 

With that cue, Quinnipiac’s M&T Bank Arena erupts into cheers. Seventeen campers with limb loss or limb differences dash across the floor in a spirited relay race, cheered on by their dedicated volunteers. Laughter echoes off the walls while families, faculty and administrators clap and call from the stands.

It’s Friday at Camp No Limits, a weekend of celebration, community and confidence-building where ability is redefined, friendships are forged and limits are left at the door.

Camp No Limits is more than a summer camp. It’s a nationwide program serving youth with limb differences and their families. Quinnipiac was the first university in the country to host a session in 2015 and for a decade, the campus has welcomed families from across the country for a weekend that’s as healing as it is empowering.

From the upper levels of the stands, Marcy Webster waves down at her 13-year-old daughter Rachel as she takes her place on the starting line. Rachel lost her leg to a rare bone cancer at age 10 and has returned to Camp No Limits for the past three years.

“There’s something magical about meeting in person,” said Webster. “You build friendships, and you leave knowing you can always come back. We wait all year, storing up the hurt, the victories, the questions, so that we can reconnect at camp, face-to-face. No one looks twice at anybody here. You get a mental break, a chance to recharge and then go back out into the world.”

Webster notes that the sense of belonging isn’t just felt by the campers; it extends to their families, volunteers and community members who return year after year.

Camp activities are guided by physical and occupational therapists, prosthetists and Quinnipiac OT/PT students and faculty, with additional support from teenage and adult Camp No Limits mentors with personal experiences with limb loss or limb differences.

For Jason Myers ’07, Camp No Limits feels like a full-circle moment. Now living in San Diego, the Quinnipiac alum was attending a Camp No Limits session in Big Bear, California, when he was surprised to learn that a Connecticut camp was being held at his alma mater on the East Coast.

He and his wife Danielle first brought their daughter Zoey, age 6, to Quinnipiac’s Camp No Limits last year. Zoey is a below-elbow congenital amputee and was born missing her right hand. This year, she was joined in camp activities by her 3-year-old sister Margaret, making it a true family tradition.

“Coming back to Quinnipiac with my daughters, seeing them experience this place in such a meaningful way, it’s surreal,” said Myers. “Zoey’s already thinking about the future. She wants to be an oceanographer or maybe an OT and attend Quinnipiac. Either way, she’s inspired and motivated.”

According to Myers, what makes Quinnipiac’s camp stand out from others he’s attended is the Quinnipiac student-volunteer support.

“Where else can you play sled hockey, wheelchair basketball and get coached by Division I athletes?” Myers asked. “That kind of access is rare for this age group. It’s inspiring. Especially when a young girl learns to ice skate from a female D1 hockey player.”

During the months away from camp, his daughter has kept in touch with Quinnipiac camp leaders through handwritten letters. One of her pen pals even mailed Zoey her Quinnipiac soccer jersey, a gesture that made more than a lasting impression. It’s a cherished reminder of the friendships she formed at camp.

It’s those types of meaningful connections that keep Madison “Maddie” Thompson ’25, MOT ’27, and Lydia Philbrick ’23, DPT ’26, coming back each year as camp counselors. Student volunteers at Camp No Limits include a team of Quinnipiac occupational therapy and physical therapy students, who play a vital role in organizing, leading and learning alongside campers.

Thompson and Philbrick began their involvement last year as volunteers. This year, they took on the role of Camp Leaders, helping to organize camp activities as well as OT and PT sessions that incorporated adaptive equipment, mobility exercises, stretching and practical skills like learning to tie a shoe with one hand.

“For me, it’s more than clinical experience,” said Thompson, a first-year master’s OT student. “I’ve gone to camps my whole life, but this is different. This camp has a true community behind it.”

Philbrick, a second-year doctoral PT student, agreed. “When a camper learns something new and says, ‘I’ve never been able to do this before,’ it’s a reminder of how powerful this experience is. These are the kinds of moments you can’t get in a classroom.”

Both noted that many campers return year after year and reunite with hugs and smiles before picking up where they left off. They are teaching each other through lived experience.

“We’re helping with mobility and function,” said Philbrick. “But we’re also showing campers that they’re not alone.”

Maria Cusson, Quinnipiac clinical associate professor of physical therapy and Camp No Limits PT faculty adviser, emphasized how the camp serves more than just the child.

“One of the most important things about Quinnipiac's involvement with this camp is the opportunity for experiential learning for our OT and PT students. They’re not just doing the fun stuff. They’re learning how to treat impairments and help improve the campers’ functional limitations,” said Cusson. “But just as importantly, they’re gaining a holistic perspective, seeing the impact on the entire family, the parents, the siblings, everyone involved.”

Cusson credits strong local partnerships for the camp’s continued success. Hartford HealthCare has been a valued partner, providing financial support as well as volunteers throughout the weekend. Students from the University of Hartford’s Orthotics and Prosthetics Program have also joined the camp this year, gaining hands-on exposure to adaptive technologies and working closely with campers and mentors who live with limb differences.

“Aside from the tremendous impact the camp has on the student volunteers, over the years we’ve been able to add pre-camp teen events that have, over the years, included additional support from the Offices of Student Accessibility, Admissions, Financial Aid and Undergraduate Student Services,” said Cusson. 

“It is a great joy to see the impact this camp has on everyone involved. Our students are forever changed by their experiences and become better clinicians because of what they learn. Colleagues from facilities, public safety and Chartwells talk about how happy they are to assist and how much they love this camp.”

Valerie Strange agrees. As a Quinnipiac clinical professor of occupational therapy, she also serves as the camp’s OT faculty adviser.

“We spend so much time teaching our own students about inclusion, and here we are at a camp that’s technically segregated. But that’s what makes it so important,” said Strange. “These are critical spaces where campers can take a breath, feel good about who they are and just have fun being with others who understand.”

Learn more: A Maine-based nonprofit, Camp No Limits started in 2004 and has grown to operate locations nationwide. For more information, visit nolimitsfoundation.org.

In Focus