Newtown Couple Finds Fulfillment Working With Children

By Andy Hutchison

Newtown’s Jeff and Cindy Freedman both take a liking to, and have an appreciation for, sports and children, so the jobs they each have do not just pay the bills, they also provide a sense of fulfillment.

Jeff is co-director of Camp Winaukee in Moultonboro, N.H., where he spends his summer months. Cindy is a pediatric occupational therapist and recreational therapist who provides aqua therapy to children with a variety of special needs at Angelfish Therapy. She also runs her own company, Kids A Float. Cindy works with children throughout the region with both of these companies.

The Newtown couple’s jobs share a lot of similarities, yet are vastly different at the same time. The children at Jeff’s camp are your typical up-and-coming athletes with a variety of talents. Those Cindy works with, meanwhile, are challenged with a variety of issues, including hypotonia, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, congenital disorders, autism spectrum disorders, chromosomal abnormality, sensory integration disorders, general developmental delay and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

The Freedmans, both 44, came to town from Kansas City nearly a decade ago. Jeff, after a collegiate career during which he played tennis and basketball, worked as a director of enforcement for the NCAA for ten years. Having his phone wires tapped while investigating cases was the tip of the iceberg of the troubles that came with the job and Jeff reevaluated his career.

“I got tired of coaches yelling at me and boosters and coaches threatening my life. I actually had one pull a gun on me at one point,” he said.

Jeff was not sure exactly what his next job should be, but he wanted to work with children and be a role model in some capacity. He had known Camp Winaukee’s director, Bart Sobel, going back to his days as a camper there in the 1970s. Discussions led to Sobel giving Jeff a job offer to run the camp along with him and since 1999, Jeff has been a part of the camp, which is for boys ages 7–16 along the shore of Lake Winnipesaukee.

He says sports are a microcosm of life in general and camp attendees get great life experiences from learning sports at his camp.

“You need to be a team player — life’s not always about you — and give it your best effort no matter what the situation. And know how to have fun,” Jeff said. “You learn life skills on a playing field.”

This camp is not your typical summer camp. A majority of the staff members are current and former collegiate athletes and there is a three to one staff member to camper ratio. Campers participate in a wide variety of sports and adventure trips with a beautiful backdrop. Campers and staff members come from a vast variety of states, and even countries.

“We get campers from all over the world,” Jeff said. About 60 percent of them come from New England and the remaining campers come from across, and out of, the country.

Jeff travels and promotes the camp in the winter months. He went to Los Angeles eight years ago and recruited one camper. Now, he has more than 20 from L.A. “It’s a domino effect,” he says.

The camp has grown and brings in more than 400 campers each summer. The camp offers four-, five- and seven-week sessions. Tuition for sessions of three, four, five, and seven weeks are $3,500, $5,500, $6,500, and $8,500 respectively. Camp sessions run between June 28 and August 17. For complete information, visit www.winaukee.com.

Both Jeff and Cindy, who have three children of their own, have strong athletic backgrounds. Jeff was an Academic and NCAA All-American during his basketball and tennis playing days in college.

Cindy, a national diving champion during her college career. She is also the diving coach at Newtown High School.

“My husband and I both love working with kids. We’re both fortunate to have careers where we can follow our passion all day long,” Cindy said.

“Athletics have been such an integral part of our lives,” Jeff added. “We’ve combined our passion for sports and kids and incorporated it into our professional lives.”

Cindy has 15 years of rehabilitation experience treating a variety of diagnoses. After receiving a master’s degree in occupational therapy, she worked in Kansas City exclusively in aquatics. For the past five years, she has run Kids A Float.

Cindy says the water is a perfect setting for working with children with special needs.

“Kids are very motivated by the water,” she says.

And because they are enjoying what they are doing, the children do not realize they are working out at the same time, she said. Cindy calls this way of providing therapy to children motivating and inspirational.

Cindy volunteered with Special Olympics when she was in high school and has always enjoyed helping out children with special needs.

Along with Ailene Tisser, Cindy instructs children at pools where Angelfish Therapy rents space throughout Fairfield County, as well as over the border into New York. For information on Angelfish Therapy, visit angelfishtherapy.com.

This summer, Cindy will direct Camp Mighty Mind as part of Kids A Float for children to improve motor coordination, attention, handwriting, and reading. Sponsored by Newtown’s Park and Recreation Department, the camp will be held at Head O’ Meadow School.

Two sessions, each costing $625, will be held (June 23–27 and August 4–8, from 9 am to 4 pm each day).