On Wednesday, February 21, at exactly 5:30 p.m., the first shots were fired. I am sitting on the floor next to my comrades while they relentlessly open fire on the enemy. I can hear the bullets flying around me and the captain yelling orders to our squad. Terry is holding onto his camera, pressing it against his chest. His face is tense, and he’s covered in sweat.

After a minute that felt like an eternity, I decide to move out and follow my squad on the left side of the battlefield. I am nervously holding onto my gun, my finger on the trigger.

Terry is behind me, and I can hear the clicks of the camera as he takes photos. My first contact occurs as I am scanning the field with my gun. We’re shooting at each other, and I get hit in my right shoulder. I immediately sit back down, but out of nowhere, a child wearing a black panther mask comes out and finishes me off.

My captain taps me out, and I have to put my gun down. “Two shots and you’re out” is the rule. Terry is laughing at me as I’m acting like I just got hit by two real bullets. Nearing the end of the battle, I’m crawling out of the battlefield.

Today’s battlefield was actually located in Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. Participants of all ages were running around, hiding behind piles of boxes and shooting each other with nerf guns in a camaraderie ambiance.

This event was organized by Train to Inspire, a nonprofit organization looking to help people with disabilities live a healthy life. Train to Inspire focuses on helping handicapped people exercise and aims to provide them with opportunities for memorable achievements.

The Nerf Gun Battles are one of many activities conceived by Joe Hogan, the founder of Train to Inspire. Hogan’s mission is supporting anyone who has gone through adversity and hardship. A big part of this concept is empowering and enlightening individuals with mental and/or physical disabilities.

As I first walked into the event, I was surprised by how the room was designed. Participants split into two teams and were required to wear a ‘protective’ mask. Those masks were superhero masks, so all players could be their favorite hero through the battle.

The room was big enough to allow plenty of movement for both teams but small enough to encourage and facilitate fights in between. Volunteers built forts and defenses with cardboard boxes on either side of the room. They also created a “no-man’s land” in the center. Nerf guns were distributed on both sides.

Train to Inspire events are made possible by the funding and donations given to the organization. All the nerf guns were provided by the organization. Two to four weeks were necessary to organize the nerf battle event.

“It is a constant and endless thinking process,” Hogan said.

The organization has to plan its activities to accommodate every type of disability. It takes time-consuming, serious, logistical planning and a dedicated crew of volunteers for the organization to come up with events that are out of the norm.

Tracy Keninger is a volunteer who joined Train to Inspire two years ago and assists Hogan in conceptualizing events for the organization.

“What’s great about Train to Inspire is that it provides people with an opportunity to participate in activities that they’ve never ever been offered before,” Keninger said.

Participating in a Nerf Gun Battle just one example. Volunteers help participants with whatever they need, and they aim to support them in tasks that they may not be able to accomplish on their own.

Nicholas Breeding, another Train to Inspire volunteer, said it’s easy to see how the kids are impacted by the event.

“They are having so much fun out there,” Breeding said. “It’s all about putting a smile on their face.”

Train to Inspire allows volunteers to meet and work with people from different backgrounds and traditions. By sharing their time and experiences with members, volunteers have made friendships.

As Train to Inspire uses fun activities to encourage exercise, they defy the odds and show the world what their members can achieve.

It is important for them to try and live the best life they can without letting their disabilities dictate what they can or cannot do.