COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — It’s an inclusive camp meant to give everyone of all ages and abilities the chance to play football.
Camp Landon, was held Sunday at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs.
"Football is awesome because I like sports, I love colleges, everything!" said Landon Marshall, Camp Landon.
The 23-year-old, born with Down Syndrome, is the inspiration behind Camp Landon. The camp gives people of all ages with disabilities the chance to shine and show the world what they can do through football.
"We wanted to give kids with special abilities more opportunity to get out and be involved and play sports," said Donnie Woods, camp director.
He said the idea for the camp was started by Landon Marshall, who was looking for a way to get some exposure to sports during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"During COVID, Landon would call every single day and I think it was just because he wanted something to do," Woods said.
For many with different abilities sports can be out of reach, but not at Camp Landon. Landon’s younger brother Owen said it’s hard to tell who gets more out of the camp, the participants or the volunteers.
"I would say it’s pretty balanced because you could tell the kids have so much fun," Owen Marshall said. "We learn so much from them we learn how to be more patient, how to handle kids like that, it’s really special."
What’s easy to see is the camp shows no sign of slowing down — and organizers wouldn’t have it any other way.
"This is the second year and we’ve doubled our camp participants," Woods said. "We’ve doubled in volunteers as well, and it’s going to continue to grow."
For more infomation on Camp Landon visit camplandon.org.
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.
