Apollo Students Help at Summer Enrichment Program

Big smiles and teamwork were pretty common this past week at Betty's Farm in Lima.

"It has been amazing. These kids are wonderful kids," said Julia Soules, Day Program Manager at Betty's Farm in Lima. 

Students from the Apollo Career Center were there all week to help out with Betty's Summer Enrichment program.

"It's been really neat because we have participants that don't normally react to other people, have come out and really warmed up to these Apollo kids," Soules said. 

The summer program helps young adults with autism develop different life and social skills through activities like gardening, crafts and different games.

"Everyday they come in and smile when they see us, and it's been great,"  said Jessica Stanley, a student at Apollo. 

Stanley says she made a special bond with one participant on her very first day at the farm.

"He took means I helped him unload the dishwasher, that was his morning chore. And I just thought it was so sweet, he was so happy and talking to me about everything, and it was like he didn't know a stranger and I thought that was so sweet. Everybody should be like that," Stanley said.

In fact, many friendships seemed to have formed over the course of the week.

"We've had participants, we've had conversation in the transport van and they're like 'is so and so coming back from Apollo tomorrow? I'm going to be here is so and so coming back' and I'm like yeah they're coming back, and they get really excited about it," Soules said. 

And as it comes to an end, the Apollo students say they hope to be back soon. 

"We plan on coming back during the school year and hanging out with these guys. We love it," Stanley said.