Racine’s Camp History

So how do we tell you about the amazing place our camp is. Once every summer since 2002, about 50+ volunteers gather together at a campground in southern Wisconsin where we wait for a busload of beautiful children ages 7 to 11 to come for a week of camp. These are very special children because they have come from hard places, places where they have been abused, neglected, abandoned and all to frequently shuffled from home to home in foster care or other out of home placement. It is our privilege to give these children a week of special memories, moments of affirmation and being able to be successful, and to feel loved in a safe environment. Two campers are paired with one counselor so they get some very special attention, while they are swimming, fishing, boating, woodworking, making the craft of the day, dressing up, singing, doing a group activity or laughing through a talent show. Our campers come off the bus with all sorts of expressions—some can’t wait to get started, some are fearful and wonder what to expect and some are like little defensive porcupines because they have been hurt so often. At our camp, we watch them change and smile and laugh and simply enjoy being children. It is such a privilege to be a part of that.

We work with the Racine County Foster Services in Racine County to find our campers. We raise money throughout the year so there is no charge to Human Services or the foster families for the children to come to camp. . We are a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization and are funded through generous corporate donors and individuals, service organizations and various fundraisers. We are always looking for other people to become involved with us as volunteers to come to camp, to help raise money for camp, and multiple other ways outlined in “Get Involved”.

These children often have low self-esteem due to the experiences they have faced by being abused, neglected, or abandoned, removed from their homes and often placed in multiple foster homes; they have a need for hope and positive memories. They need to have physical mementos that will continue to build on the positive memories and relationships they created during their week at camp.

Our camp provides hope and positive memories to the children in Racine County foster care. Campers participate in multiple activities including a birthday party with inflatables along with birthday gifts. At the end of camp, each child goes home with an MP3 player loaded with the songs we sing at camp, duffel bag, t-shirts, a personalized photo album, and other mementos so he or she can continue to build on the positive memories and relationships they created during their week at camp.