Thursday, March 24, 2011

More Camp Opportunities...


Can you tell I’m trying to get Maddie’s summer planned? J  I don’t know about you, but when summer rolls around, I panic trying to find things to keep Maddie occupied and out of trouble.  She loves the routine of school and summer is just an endless cycle of routine-less days for her.

Here are some more options for camps:

The Center for Courageous Kids is a fantastic camp located in Scottsville, KY near Bowling Green.  They have disability-specific weeks and really give the kids an amazing camp experience, no matter their abilities.  The camp is beautiful!  It’s clean, features full-time medical staff, and is close to a hospital, if needed.  Maddie went last year for the first time.  I was nervous because she’s never been away from home except to stay with her grandparents and I was sending her away for 6 days!  But it turned out to be the best 6 days ever – for her, as well as for me.  Best of all, the camp is completely free.  Yes, free.

I'm pretty bummed that there's not a Down syndrome week this year, but there are many others available.  Just check the list once you go to the website.

Southeast Christian Church operates Camp Freedom each summer.  A couple of my friend’s children have gone in previous years and loved it!

Camp Freedom features all the activities you would expect at a summer camp, from swimming and fishing, worship, crafts and plenty of eating!

The cost is $125 and registration is online at SECC's website. Just click on the Country Lake tab on the left side, and follow the prompts for Summer Camp to find Camp Freedom.

Dreams with Wings runs a teen/young adult summer program throughout the summer.  Again, my friends who have sent their children here rave about it.  They have two different programs: one for children with autism and one offered through a partnership with Down Syndrome of Louisville.  It’s an eight-week program that encourages independence, continued learning in life and social and communication skills.  They have typical staff ratios of 3:1 or 4:1.

The camp runs from June 8th – July 29th, Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m – 4:00 p.m.  Full-time participation runs $110 per week and part-time (T, W, TH) is $80 per week.  I’ve heard that you can use your Michelle P Waiver to pay for it but I haven’t received my packet yet so I can’t confirm that right now.

For an enrollment packet, email Jackie Shircliff Clark at Dreams with Wings.

Home of the Innocents has two 1-week day camp sessions each summer.  Camp runs from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Home.  Maddie has attended the last two years and really enjoys herself.  Each child is paired with a high school volunteer for the week and they develop some nice friendships this way.  They do crafts, swim (this year the new therapy pool will be available!), have time in the Snoozelin room, cook, eat, and much more!  I haven’t received my registration form yet and the website doesn’t have information about it, but you can call the Home at 502-596-1000 to be put on the list to receive information about it.  This one fills up very fast because of the limited amount of children they can take.

Hope these suggestions help you have a happy Summer!

Elizabeth

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