special needs camp

“Warm Beach Camp has always changed my life for the better.” When I sat down with Bee to talk about how God has been working in her life this summer, these were the first words out of her mouth. Bee, known to the outside world as Hannah, is currently a Cabin Guide down at W-Bar-B Youth Camp. Bee and I go back five summers when we both started volunteering at Warm Beach Special Friends Camp. Bee truly encountered God that ...

  “Life changes here”…a phrase you may have heard. This phrase doesn’t just apply to our campers and guests, but also our volunteers and staff. Often volunteers come to Warm Beach Camp to be part of something bigger than themselves, to help with programming, labor and other tasks. Little do they know the experience is often just as life changing for them as it is for the campers they serve. This was exactly the case for Marcus Petterson, “Fred” here ...

This year, Warm Beach Camp kicked off the summer with Special Friends Camp which is specifically designed for adults with developmental disabilities. Campers enjoyed WBC’s fun activities which include: singing songs, swimming, train rides, horseback riding, the ropes course, and the climbing tower. Activtities are designed to accommodate every individual, regardless of their physical limitations. A recreational staff member, David Lawless said, "One camper didn’t have the mobility or the strength that it takes to climb the ropes course. So ...

The camp is conducted as part of the Barnabas2 (B^2) program, which partners with Christian camps across America to provide life-changing opportunities to people with special needs and chronic diseases. Under their model, every summer camp activity is taken apart and adapted to meet the needs of each individual camper. The flagship site, Camp Barnabas, currently serves over 1,300 campers, with a wide range of special needs, each summer. “For 15 years we have watched what allowing someone to understand ...

by Laurie Fertello I wish you could have been there when I had the opportunity recently, to tell two Mothers that their adult sons could come to Special Friends Day Camp!  You would have seen the longing on their faces turn to joy and the tears in their eyes when they finally realized a dream come true for their adult children! Saying “YES” to people who are so often told “NO”, is a great privilege of mine and I do ...