Iowa
‘Pretty awesome’: Kids learn the joy of baseball at the Iowa Baseball Camp for the Deaf
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.
More: ‘Let me have a chance’: How running back Demarico Young overcame deafness, homelessness to thrive
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.
Iowa
Rescued cats from Iowa find temporary refuge with PAWS Chicago
CHICAGO – Anxious and hungry, they arrived one by one at their new temporary home in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
Eighteen cats, each with unique stories, coats and energy, have joined the PAWS Chicago family. Among them are Leo, Daffy, Hayden, Harris and Fava.
The group consists of nine male and nine female cats, ranging from 13 months to 7-and-a-half years old.
Many are strays; six were surrendered by owners. They came from a humane society in Iowa.
President Biden declared a disaster for several Iowa counties earlier this week after devastating floods ravaged homes.
Authorities said the entire country is experiencing a pet overpopulation problem.
The cats will undergo medical evaluation and should be ready for adoption next week.
Iowa
Area District Judge Appointed to Serve on Iowa Court of Appeals – Storm Lake Radio
Governor Reynolds on Friday announced that an area district judge was been appointed as a judge on the Iowa Court of Appeals.
John Sandy of Spirit Lake currently serves as District Judge in District 3A which includes Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, and Ida counties. Sandy received both his undergraduate degree and law degree from the University of St. Thomas.
Sandy fills an Iowa Court of Appeals vacancy created following the retirement of Judge Thomas Bower.
Iowa
Give these new Iowa City art exhibits a spin on the Ped Mall — literally.
New installation brings tradition back to Ped Mall after a year off
IOWA CITY — An interactive art exhibit in downtown Iowa City is putting a new spin on foot traffic to areas impacted by construction.
As the location’s third interactive art exhibit, the spinning tops known as Los Trompos may not be figuratively revolutionary for the Iowa City Downtown District. But each piece, based on the age old toy, will spin you in circles to your heart’s content.
Los Trompos, after being on the Iowa City Downtown District’s list “for a long time,” follows installations of Mi Casa, Your Casa in 2022 and The Loop in 2021. After a year off from the imported art from Montreal art production company Creos, this year’s installation invites visitors to relax, hang out and play on the Ped Mall.
“These are much like (the last art exhibit), which were really visible, vibrant and allowed multiple people to use them. That’s what we were looking for with Los Trompos,” said Betsy Potter, executive director of the Iowa City Downtown District (ICDD). “We know it brings a positive piece to a public space and drives foot traffic.”
What: Los Trompos interactive art exhibit Where: The Pedestrian Mall, 210 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City
When: To Aug. 5, 2024
If you go
Los Trompos, which means “spinning tops” in Spanish, is set up through five larger-than-life, three-dimensional pieces crafted from fabric woven in a traditional Mexican style. With vibrant colors and shapes, the sculptures opened on June 21 function as rotating platforms.
Each 8-foot-wide module, large enough to hold several people, comes to life when visitors spin tops from their bases, activating a sense of interaction and teamwork.
The concept by Latin American artists Hector Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena draws inspiration from traditional toys with colorful expression and craftsmanship by Mexican artisans. Inspired by history, art, music, architecture and books, the pair have more than 25 years of experience and an extensive list of projects across North and South America.
“We are inspired by ordinary objects that surround us. We are influenced by our context and our everyday activities which allow us to visit and share with different cultures and different individuals,” the artists said in a statement. “We firmly believe that these are the goals of design: to weave and generate interactions, human connections and emotions, to relate to users, and to enhance and translate our inheritance and skills into new expressions.”
It was first commissioned several years ago by the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, and has traveled the country ever since. Its six-week stint in Iowa City, ending Aug. 5, is Los Trompos’ second time visiting the Midwest, after Chicago.
With a greater appeal to children, a lot of thought went into the whimsical design of Los Trompos that, essentially, functions like a piece of playground equipment.
And with a short presence this summer, it will help tide businesses and restaurants that rely on foot traffic over to the fall, when the Dubuque Streetscape project started in March will be completed.
“It was a deliberate choice to support foot traffic,” Potter said. “Part of why we’re bringing back (interactive art) this year is because of the impacts of construction.”
Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.
-
News1 week ago
Tracking a Single Day at the National Domestic Violence Hotline
-
Fitness1 week ago
What's the Least Amount of Exercise I Can Get Away With?
-
News1 week ago
Supreme Court upholds law barring domestic abusers from owning guns in major Second Amendment ruling | CNN Politics
-
World6 days ago
Israel accepts bilateral meeting with EU, but with conditions
-
Politics1 week ago
Trump classified docs judge to weigh alleged 'unlawful' appointment of Special Counsel Jack Smith
-
Politics1 week ago
Supreme Court upholds federal gun ban for those under domestic violence restraining orders
-
World7 days ago
New Caledonia independence activists sent to France for detention
-
World1 week ago
Is Israel’s Smotrich fulfilling his dream of annexing the West Bank?