Hundreds of volunteers and participants gathered outside the Melissa Nellesen Center for Autism at Utah Valley University (UVU) on June 24 and 25 during the Moving Mountains Soccer Camp, a day camp providing soccer-related activities and fun for children on the autism spectrum.

This was UVU’s fifth year participating in the camp. The university provided a location for participants and trained volunteers working with the children at the camp.

"I'm always in awe to watch the entire community come together to support autism in our area,” Laurie Bowen, associate director of the Melissa Nellesen Center for Autism Associate Director, said. “We all have something to contribute that can improve the lives of those around us. In this case, many individuals and families and teams show kindness and patience and take time to get to know others in a new setting and with a new opportunity. Everyone is lifted up from the experience and walks away better for the time spent together."

For Bowen, this event represents UVU’s commitment to provide community outreach.

“One of the main components we have at UVU is to reach out to the community,” she said, “We can be a leader in this way and demonstrate best approaches for situations like autism. We have strong community support for autism in this area, and I’m very proud of my employment at UVU. It’s amazing to be able to see what we’ve able to accomplish in this capacity.”

The camp was started five years ago by Kylee Wunder, a Utah teen with a passion for soccer. Kylee started the Moving Mountains Soccer Camp to help people like her twin brothers, both on the autism spectrum.

“Our mission is just to have these kids have an amazing experience that they wouldn’t have otherwise,” Wunder said. “Parents of autistic children sometimes feel a little bit nervous sending their kids to a camp like this because of the fear of being judged or harassed. I'm very grateful for UVU, especially the Melissa Nellesen Center. Their goal of helping the autistic community is very admirable. And they've helped us with the camps so much, this would not be able to happen without them.”

You can learn more about and contribute to the Melissa Nellesen Center for Autism here.