The Iowa Baseball Camp for the Deaf offers children in the deaf community the chance to socialize, meet other deaf or hard-of-hearing kids, and play ball.

For Dylan Heuer, the director and founder of Iowa Baseball Camp for the Deaf (IBCD), it’s important for deaf or hard-of-hearing kids to have the experience because, sometimes, being deaf or hard-of-hearing is isolating.

“A lot of times, they’ll just be like the only deaf person in their family, or even the only deaf person in their whole school building,” Heuer, who is deaf, said through an interpreter.

He modeled the camp after his own camp experience growing up, teaming up with the Iowa Cubs and a local Sertoma club, a foundation that offers funding for deaf or hard-of-hearing organizations.

“I love baseball and I love that experience I had as a camper and I just really wanted to share it with the community and feel like I could give back to deaf and hard-of-hearing students in that way,” Heuer said. “Deaf and hard-of-hearing students a lot of times are pretty isolated.”

Heuer established IBCD in 2015. Since then, it has grown from around 20 kids and volunteers to nearly 40 kids and volunteers this year. The weeklong camp takes place at the Johnston Little League facility.

“It almost becomes a one-to-one ratio, which is really cool and a lot more people looking forward to camp every year,” Heuer said. “It’s become really popular for the deaf community.”

Katy Faircloth, a volunteer from Ankeny, has been a volunteer at IBCD almost every year since 2015.

“Seeing all these deaf adults supporting deaf children is my favorite,” Faircloth said. “The coaches learn to communicate with the kids, treat them like their hearing peers, and use support from interpreters and deaf adults to make them feel part of a team. … They really are playing baseball.”

The kids in the camp are ages 7 to 14 and are separated into two age groups. One is for younger kids who are first-time IBCD campers, and the other is for older IBCD returners.

Emilee Cervetti, a 9-year-old from Johnston, said her favorite part of the camp is being around others who also use sign language.

“My favorite part is that the people sign, and that’s really cool because I can understand what they’re saying,” she said.

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She first learned about the camp from her mom and is interested in continuing her baseball journey because of the camp.

Last year’s camp brought together 10-year-old Bowen Tubaugh from Centerville and 9-year-old Maverick Lukowicz from Davenport and they are still best friends.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Tubaugh said.

The camp, which ends Friday, doesn’t just focus on drills and practice games. Campers will go to the Iowa Cubs vs. St. Paul Saints game Thursday and play a game of their own at Principal Park on Friday.

At Thursday’s game, which also is the Iowa Cub’s Deaf Culture Night, two of the campers will throw the first pitch for the game. They also will sign the national anthem during the seventh-inning stretch.

Iowa Cubs players, for the first time in team history, will wear special jerseys that spell out “Iowa” in sign language.

“I’m really proud that this is actually happening because I see the kids enjoying themselves, I see these big smiles on their faces,” Heuer said. “I’m proud to see all of these volunteers and staff come and want to be involved in these kids’ lives.”

Kyle Werner is a reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@dmreg.com.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Television Iowa Capitol Bureau) – An Iowa candidate for Congress is alleging the incumbent congressman will do things to hurt the Social Security system, but he’s not offering any of his own solutions.

Social Security reserves will run out in 11 years if Congress doesn’t act. That means recipients would only get 83% of their full benefits. 50% of seniors get half of their monthly income from Social Security. One in four seniors rely on Social Security for 90% of their monthly income.

Democratic congressional candidate Lanon Baccam, who is running against incumbent republican Zach Nunn in Iowa’s 3rd congressional district, held a press call Wednesday with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare and the Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans. Baccam told reporters Nunn would raise the retirement age and cut benefits.

Baccam was asked repeatedly what his solution is.

“I’m not going to cut benefits here. Where Zach Nunn is, he is trying to shutter these offices. That’s going to limit the program delivery. He’s trying to raise the retirement age. That’s going to hurt folks who work for a living. These are clear distinctions here for what he’s trying to do with his position on Social Security versus mine. There’s no question I’m focusing in on and paying attention to Americans and Iowans who work for a living on this campaign and we need a champion for them in Congress and I will be that person,” Baccam said.

My colleague Dave Price and I both followed up and Baccam was unable to provide specific solutions.

“Hi, it’s Dave Price. So, are you keeping the status quo then? Are you not suggesting any changes?”

“There’s no question. We cannot cut this program. I will oppose any cuts to this program especially for our seniors who have paid into these programs for many years. They’re entitled to these benefits. They should be able to retire with dignity. I will not cut any of these programs that have been proposed by Zach Nunn and his groups,” Baccam said.

“This is Conner Hendricks. Do you actually have any proposed solutions though to this? You know, you say you’re not going to cut and you say that Nunn’s a threat but do you have specific solutions for this?”

“The first thing here is we need to protect it. Zach Nunn currently is prepared to cut Social Security, to raise the retirement age, to reduce the amount of offices or hours of operation like limiting the ability for Social Security to be able to deliver on their program. We at the very minimum have to make sure that we protect this program and Zach Nunn is threatening even that and so I think that’s critically important here for folks to understand and appreciate that Zach Nunn is not going to maintain even the status quo here. He is trying to cut this program. He will do it if given the chance.”

Congressman Nunn’s office tells us that no, he does not favor raising the retirement age. He also says he’s never voted to close or reduce hours Social Security offices.

“When the government created Social Security and Medicare, it made a promise to retirees. I am 100% committed to protecting that promise and strongly oppose any cuts to these programs. Any suggestion to the contrary is simply false. I am actively leading bipartisan solutions to protect these critical programs from out-of-touch politicians in D.C.,” Nunn said.

We also asked Nunn what solutions for Social Security he’d support. His office says he’d support reforms that root out waste, fraud, and abuse by bureaucrats.

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Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Television-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV or on X/Twitter @ConnerReports.

Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Randi Henderson, the head coach at Division III Washington University, and North Carolina assistant Sean Sullivan have been hired as women’s basketball assistants at Iowa, coach Jan Jensen announced Wednesday.

Henderson was 103-54 with four NCAA tournament appearances in seven seasons at the St. Louis school. She also led the Bears to four top-three finishes in the University Athletic Association.

Henderson also was an assistant at Charlotte for two years, head coach at Coe College in Iowa for nine years and head coach at Minnesota-Morris for one year. The Cedar Falls native was a three-year starter for Iowa from 1998-2001.

Sullivan was director of player personnel, development, and recruiting operations at North Carolina for two seasons and was promoted to assistant last season. Sullivan also has worked at Pittsburgh and Penn State. He also will hold the title of general manager with the Hawkeyes.

He was a women’s basketball manager for four years when he attended Iowa and later was the team’s video coordinator.

Henderson and Sullivan filled openings created by the retirements of head coach Lisa Bluder and assistant Jenni Fitzgerald after last season.

Jensen, who had been Bluder’s top assistant for two decades, was named head coach May 14. She took over a program that has reached the NCAA championship game two straight years.