The Nintendo Wii is much more than a game console for folks at the Alabama Special Camp for Children and Adults.
The system, donated by Beasley Allen in Montgomery, could bring additional exercise and rehabilitation to ASCCA campers, who visit the Jackson’s Gap facility.
“This gives us one more option,” said camp director Matt Rickman. “That’s one of our goals to add a new program or update a program each year.”
The law firm donated the gaming system to the camp as part of Project Wii-hab, a coordinated effort of more than 40 law firms throughout the country to donate a gaming system to a rehabilitative program in their area, according to Beasley Allen spokeswomen Helen Taylor.
“More than 40 law firms nationwide are participating,” Taylor said. “It began with the injury board, which is a collaboration of attorneys organized to help those who have been injured.”
The system arrived just in time for campers from the Alabama Head Injuries Foundation to use it.
“This helps to promote physical fitness as well as cognitive skills and motor skills,” Rickman said. “There are many things we can do with the system.”
ASCCA was chosen for the program through a nomination drive on Facebook, according to Taylor.
The nomination could not have come at a better for the camp and its administrator John Stephenson as they had begun to prepare a fitness room off of the ASCCA gym.
“It was great timing for us because we wanted to put some resistance training and exercise bikes in there and this will fit in perfectly for those who aren’t interested in traditional exercise,” Stephenson said. “The day we thought about using the room they called us about the gaming system.”
Taylor said the Wii was becoming a popular rehabilitation tool because it was “more engaging” and users “stay interested.”
“Many will use it longer than traditional rehab exercises,” Taylor said.
