My Nonprofit Reviews

These are my thoughts and experiences having been at Adam's Camp. All the following are things I have gathered myself, and are my own sole opinions. I wish to share them with others so they may know its strength. Adam's Camp changes lives. It not only changes the lives of families with children with developmental disabilities, but also families without. Adam's Camp's many programs provide a wide range of services aimed at each individual child. Young children make unbelievable strides in only one week as each of their therapists work with eachother in intensive sessions to achieve a common goal, as opposed to being individual contracted and working on separate goals as is standard at home. With such a structure, each child has the benefit of working toward goals with the advantage of having multiple facets of therapy working in harmony. Such a structure is amazingly uncommon, and quite effective. Such strides make a huge difference in the lives of families. Having a child with a developmental disability proves challenging in many ways, and when a child breaks through a barrier, no matter how simple or complicated, the lives of the child, and the entire family which must care and monitor their child, are changed forever. Imagine having a child with CP and your renowned doctor tells you that your child will NEVER walk. Now imagine your life after Adam's Camp when your child does begin to walk. WOW. How that changes everyone's lives... Such an example is reality at Adam's Camp - and the reality of Adam for whom the camp is named. Now imagine having a teenage child with Down Syndrome. The isolation he must feel, the lack of other children with similar abilities in their own classrooms. Now imagine this same child among a group of his own peers. Learning along side them while being guided by typical teen volunteers. Now your child builds life long friendships with people his own age with similar abilities. Now he gets to explore relationships, feelings, understandings, and build and learn with one another. Now, with typical teenage volunteers, your child learns from typical peers as well. Someone they look at as a peer, because they are a peer, but someone who can help guide them like a trusted adult would. This is the next reality of Adam's Camp. Children learn immensely from each other, and the implications of such a program are limitless for each child, the accomplishments boundless. Now imagine you child years later learning important life skills and acting as a leader to other younger campers. Imagine how greatly your child's self confidence and happiness has improved, and how much that alone will effect your child's performance in sports, academics, and in everyday life... and imagine its impact on the family as well. This, too, is a reality at Adam's Camp. Another reality for every family is the need for space among family members. When your child has a disability, the amount of contact time necessary is unbelievably higher. Whether it's midnight meds, early morning risers, or constant supervision. This routine gets stale for everyone involved, and that's to be expected... and that's OK. Adam's Camp provides a week long change in that daily routine for the campers and the parents. Often after returning a week later, parents have reconnected with each other, as they have gotten distracted by the complications of their daily lives. Multiple times the Parents come back crying, so appreciative of the time they were allowed to relax and reconnect while knowing their child was well cared for - and then how their tears flow when their child, too, had an unbelievable week trying things they had never done, learning more than anyone could ever know. Suddenly, the whole family is rejuvenated, ready for another year of whatever is to come - relishing in how much their love for each other has impacted, and does impact, their lives; even when they didn't notice. Adam's Camp is more than a service provider - they are a community. Most campers return year after year. Even returning more than a decade isn't too uncommon. Every year the family grows, the children grow. The leaders of Adam's Camp know each family individually. The staff, like the children, also return year after year providing immense knowledge to and about each camper - and Adam's Camp is dedicated to providing service to everyone. Yearly, Adam's Camp gives away thousands of dollars in scholarships and Grants, trying to subsidize costs so that no family feels that they cant afford Camp. But perhaps the most striking statements I have heard at Adam's Camp involve campers with behavioral issues. Many of them have been expelled from school, asked not to return because their districts don't want to be held responsible for them. Their parents often nervously ask if Adam's Camp will except them even with such a reputation. I have yet to hear an answer of "no." If schools refuse to help them, who will? Adam's Camp isn't afraid of a challenge, and when these campers have incredible weeks, everyone relishes in the accomplishment. When others stopped believing in them, Adam's Camp opened a door. As far as I know, some districts have even allowed students back after seeing a report of the child's growth at camp - realizing that other professionals have made it work, they can, too. And Finally, imagine yourself a bystander to all of this, someone just reading a review about a camp - no prior involvement or understanding of people with disabilities. Welcome to my life 6 years ago. No knowledge of such a subject, no understanding of people with disabilities, and even a fear of them. "Volunteer," I told myself. Just one week. Scared, I volunteered. A week later, I was changed forever. It was an experience I would never forget - Love, Obstacles, triumph, understanding, patients - All things I learned in further depth than I had ever imagined possible - and all from 10 kids with disabilities, all under 12 years old. I went to Adam's Camp to help kids who needed it, but I was the one who needed help - and they did. Life long friendships, an understanding of people, challenges, ideas, lifestyles; all lessons that change lives, even for those who had no disability besides ignorance and fear. Adam's Camp Changes Lives. I will always go back, I will always keep learning and growing - So will they. The Campers, the families, the volunteers, the camp.

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