by By BILL BRESLIN, CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT , The Houston Chronicle

Community connection: Lives in The Woodlands

Fast Fact: Valenti, a left arm amputee, is a very active and gifted athlete who has always competed in a variety of sports. As a kid, he played Little League Baseball and, while attending Plymouth State College in New Hampshire, played intercollegiate tennis. Today, he continues his love of sports.

Quick quote: "You name it, I play it."

David Valenti is devoted to creating a weekend sports camp for amputees.

The camp, which would offer clinics on numerous sports and activities, would be a psychological boost for people who have suffered a traumatic experience, Valenti said.

"It's really about building self-confidence," he said. "People go through a depression as a result of an amputation. But you have to get back out there into the mainstream of life."

Unfortunately, the onset of the camp has been marred by obstacles.

It was first hoped the Amputee Sports Camp would be held in fall 2008, but Hurricane Ike washed out that possibility. The second target date was spring 2009, but the current economic recession forced another postponement, Valenti said.

Fall 2009 is the current goal.

There's a particular reason Valenti wants to help amputees get on with their lives and feel better about themselves. The Woodlands resident was born a left arm amputee-the limb ends just after the elbow.

"You're self-conscious about your appearance," he said. "You know there's something different."

Valenti, 49, said when he was young, he used a prosthesis. But in those days, the prosthetic appendage was basically a claw. He wore it only from age 4 to about age 13 and merely for aesthetic purposes.

"I used it for school, but I would tear it off as soon as I came home," he said. "I adapted from day one, so I stopped using it."

Valenti said the challenge of being a left arm amputee is "nothing insurmountable."

However, he did have to learn a different way to do simple things that most people take for granted, like tying shoes and buttoning shirts.

Valenti is also a gifted athlete who has played sports all of his life. He participates in several activities, including golf, tennis, basketball and biking.

"You name it, I play it," he said.

Valenti began his nonprofit organization ASTTER, which stands for Amputee Sports ? Teach Train Encourage Rehabilitate, in March 2008 to offer the beneficial camps.

He was inspired to start ASTTER after counseling amputees of various ages. People would approach him when he was playing a sport and would ask him to encourage a friend or family member who had recently gone through an amputation, he said.

Valenti said he would like to offer the weekend camps twice a year if possible. He's presently looking for enough funding so that there would be no charge to attend.

Ken Jackson, who has known Valenti for 15 years, said he plans to offer golfing tips at the camp.

Jackson, a pastor, said the weekend event would give participants hope in returning to a lifestyle that has been taken from them.

"Competition is in the heart, not the body."

As for Valenti, Jackson said he's "a super guy and an inspiration to anyone who has ever known him."

Mark Davis, another longtime friend of Valenti's, said he plans to help out with the camp's basketball clinic.

Davis, who played varsity basketball for Southern Methodist University years ago, has nothing but praise for Valenti.

"He has such a good attitude about everything," Davis said. "He's a great example of someone who has overcome adversity."

For more information, visit www.astter.org.

If you have a suggestion for a "Faces in the Crowd" profile, contact Alan Fossler at alan.fossler@chron.com

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