More Than 150 Limb-Different Athletes Will Discover That Success Is Earned, Not Given.

DU QUOIN, Ill. — The nation’s largest gathering of limb-different athletes and coaches will return to Du Quoin, Illinois, for the 14th Annual NubAbility All Sports Camp. It is a five-day immersive experience centered on sports, mentorship, and personal growth for all attending athletes. From July 15-19, more than 150 limb-different athletes and their families from across the United States will take part in this event.

Hosted by NubAbility Athletics Foundation, the camp offers guidance in 19 different sports while helping young limb-different athletes build confidence, develop resilience, and discover a core message: success is earned through hard work, perseverance, and belief in what is possible.

This year’s theme, “Earned Not Given,” is integrated throughout every part of the camp experience. A lot of the young athletes are unsure where they fit in when it comes to sports or how far they can actually reach. Throughout the entire week, the athletes are surrounded by coaches who have lived very similar lives and how they have learned to face diversity. The coaches also show these limb-different athletes that confidence is not given to them-it is built. Just as belonging is not assigned-it is found- and success is something that they earn one step at a time.

For many of the young athletes attending, the camp represents a rare experience: being surrounded by peers who share similar physical challenges and understand the day-to-day realities of living with a limb difference. Instead of standing out, they find a sense of belonging. Instead of being overlooked, they find community. Finally, instead of being told what they cannot do, they are shown what has already been achieved by those before them.

"When a child walks into camp and sees hundreds of athletes with limb differences competing, coaching, and succeeding, something changes," said Sam Kuhnert, Founder and Executive Director of NubAbility Athletics. "This year's theme is 'Earned Not Given' because that's the lesson we want every camper to leave with. Nobody owes them success. Nobody owes them confidence. But through hard work, determination, and faith, they can earn things they never thought possible."

Recognized on the Forbes Accessibility 200, NubAbility has become a national leader in adaptive youth sports, serving more than 2400 limb-different athletes through 91 camps held across 19 states. The organization's efforts have reached families from 49 states and 11 countries. Through all the hard work and dedication, more than 20 former NubAbility campers have gone on to compete at the collegiate level.

"What happens here goes far beyond sports," Kuhnert said. "These kids aren't looking for sympathy. They're looking for an opportunity. Our coaches show them that life's greatest rewards come from overcoming obstacles, putting in the work, and earning every victory."

More than 150 families will gather in Du Quoin, reinforcing the camp’s role as a life-changing experience for limb-different youth athletes from across the country.