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Special needs adults have the time of their lives at Special Friends Camp

special needs adults have the time of their lives at Special Friends Summer CampSpecial Friends Camp at Warm Beach Camp is place where physically and mentally disabled adults can come to have a one-of-a-kind camping experience. Each camp is staffed by individuals who want every camper to have the time of their life. Every camper gets the chance to participate in all the activities Warm Beach Camp has to offer; horseback riding, swimming, climbing the 40-foot climbing tower, or flying down the zip line. Each camper can also participate in craft time, chapels and a long list of other activities.

At the close of each week, campers gather together for a final chapel time and the summer of 2013 was no different. One afternoon during the closing chapel, one particularly quiet camper rose to his feet and stood in front of all 50 Special Friends campers and their buddies. He seemed so small there in the middle of so many people, but he began to sing quietly. After a few moments the words became clear. Slowly and intentionally he sang, “Jesus loves the people, Jesus loves the people,” over and over. Then he stopped and extended his arms, as though to embrace each section of the amphitheater, and sang, “ALL, ALL, ALL,” until he had sung it to each and every section.

Laurie Fertello, Disabilities Ministries Director, said, “He was singing his own version of Jesus Loves the Little Children.” And that’s what Special Friends Day Camp is all about, letting every camper know that Jesus loves them.

Warm Beach Camp’s Special Friends Day Camp is one of the few camps in Washington State that serves persons age 15 and up who have special needs. Just one hour north of Seattle in north Snohomish County, Special Friends Day Camp offers campers amazingly creative camp activities in a highly supervised, supportive setting. Each camper is matched with a volunteer “Buddy,” who engages with them in the camp experience. For more information and to register for Special Friends Camp, visit https://www.warmbeach.com/programs/special-needs-programs.

Be a Special Friends volunteer – It’s a life-changing experience! Every volunteer means one more camper can attend. For more information, visit https://www.warmbeach.com/programs/special-needs-programs/special-friends-day-camp-volunteers

On That Day…

"And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord —his name alone will be worshiped."- Zechariah 14:9 NLT https://bible.com/bible/116/zec.14.9.NLT All of us have those “on that day…” thoughts. “On that day…” represents a point of arrival in one’s journey. Perhaps it is individual or the work of a community, church, or nation. It can represent a milestone or a brief moment of deferred gratitude come to pass. The prophet Zechariah is ...

Enjoy Camp for a Day!

Stepping on the grounds of Warm Beach Camp feels like home. From alumni summer staff to guest group participants, Warm Beach has become a second home to our Partners in Ministry. Last May, at the Partners in Ministry Open House, I reconnected with my friend and fellow summer staff alumni I worked with 22 years ago. We shared a picnic lunch with our families and then watched our kids swim in the very pool that we swam in as campers ...

An Internship that offers more!

“I’m leaping into the world! This is my first time living on my own, and I feel safe here. I feel like I belong. My favorite part about Warm Beach is the people; it is the coolest place to be!” exclaimed Jessica Graves, a current intern at Warm Beach Camp. A supportive and encouraging environment has been created by Intern Coordinator Sara Kauffman, where interns like Jessica feel safe to push out of their comfort zones. Sara walks alongside each ...