TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

A Trip Of A Lifetime

ADVERTISEMENT

By LINNEA BROWN

Published: May 4, 2008

Hernando High Student will travel to Norway for two weeks this summer.

BROOKSVILLE Norwegian members of Rotary International didn't know who they were messing with when they mistakenly invited Hernando High School junior Julianna Gabisch to an all-expenses-paid, two-week camp in Norway this summer for students with disabilities.

When they contacted her a week later to say they'd made a mistake, she was heartbroken.

But now — with the help of school counselor Charlotte Key, Hernando High's Interact service club and the Brooksville Rotary Club — Gabisch is going to Norway after all.

It all started a month ago with the arrival of an e-mail from Norwegian Rotarians, offering a local student the chance to attend the camp for free.

Located near Oslo, the international camp, known as Handicamp Norway, is designed for young people from 18-28 years old with functional disabilities. Each student also brings a companion of their choice.

The school district selected Gabisch, who has cerebral palsy, and Hernando High guidance counselor Charlotte Key broke the good news.

"She was ecstatic," said her mother, Brooksville resident Virgene Gabisch. "She hasn't even seen the rest of the United States yet, and now she was (being offered) the experience to go to another country."

Gabisch spent the next several days preparing her application — until Key notified her that there had been a mix-up, and that the invitation had been meant for a student in north Florida instead.

"She was so (sad)," her mother said. "You have to know Julianna, because she has a strong will. When she gets let down, she really gets let down."

Seeing how upset she was, Key contacted Norwegian club members and was able to get Gabisch invited to the camp, as well, under the conditions that she will pay her own way to Norway.

Now, Norwegian chapters of Rotary International will pay all camp costs for Gabisch and a companion of her choice — her 21-year-old sister — while members of the Brooksville Rotary Club and Hernando High's Interact club are raising the $2,400 needed to pay for their plane fare.

Hernando High students have been plastering the school with posters about their efforts, and intend to hold a Karaoke night on May 14 in their school auditorium to raise money.

Gabisch said she was first surprised when she saw the posters — which feature her photograph — but now just feels flattered that students are going to such great lengths to send her to a different country.

"At first I told my teacher, 'I'm not going to get my hopes up this time because I just got crushed,' but (what they're doing) is really nice," she said. "I'm excited about it."

The camp aims to integrate young people with disabilities through sports and other activities, build international friendship and understanding between participants and teach them about Norway and Norwegian culture.

Activities will include horseback riding, waterskiing, sailing and other water-related activities, as well as field trips to the Olympic ice-skating hall in Gjøvik, the constitution hall at Eidsvoll and Hunderfossen Family Park, where participants can try river-rafting.

Gabisch is considered a student with a high-functioning form of cerebral palsy, and had progressed from using a wheelchair when she was younger to now using canes on each arm to walk.

"She never complains about her disability," her mother said. "Once in a while she may ask questions about it, but she has a very strong will. She doesn't sit back and feel sorry for herself."

She recalled that when her daughter was younger, she told people she would be a doctor when she grew up.

"I do believe she's going to go places, because she has a good attitude," she said. "And when you have a good attitude, you can shoot for the stars."

For more information about the fundraising efforts, call Hernando High at 352-797-7015.

Reporter Linnea Brown can be reached at 352-544-5289 or lbrown@hernandotoday.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT