Ava Charlesworth, Staff Writer
Senior Ava Charlesworth spends most of her free time making a difference in her community. Aside from being a president for Campolindo’s Project Open Hands club, Charlesworth has also been volunteering with the Special Olympics for the past 6 months, helping coach special needs children in softball.
When she was in middle school, Charlesworth had classes with special needs children and “noticed that they were capable of doing more tasks than they were given credit for.” It was through these interactions that she decided to help others.
“I grew up with a boy named Tyler, who was one of my classmates,” added Charlesworth. “I could see how capable he was of participating in sports, and how much he wanted to be included.”
This year, Charlesworth will help lead Project Open Hands in planning its 3 annual events: a Halloween carnival in the fall, a basketball event in the winter, and a baseball event in the spring. Anyone can attend the events, which are organized to cater to special needs children and adults.
“There’s no special ed program at Campo, so it’s important that our community includes everyone and learns how to interact with one another,” Charlesworth said.
