Two-day basketball camp helps players, those with special needs

New Channel Islands High School girls' basketball coach Eugene Ayala has come up with a win-win idea: creating a special-needs basketball camp for people with disabilities. "We're trying to bring something positive to the community through the school," Ayala said of the two-day camp that opened Thursday. The camp is a cooperative effort between the school and Oxnard Recreation and Community Services, with sponsors from the community kicking in. Ayala, whose sister Gerri Lynn Ayala has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, wanted to start a program to let the young women on his team interact with people with special needs, with each group learning valuable lessons from the other. "It's a learning experience for all of us here," Ayala said.

Read Full Story