While a dozen young girls giggle as they get their Polaroid picture taken for a door decoration , two older teen girls lean across a table and discuss their options for college next year. In the waning light outside the boys’ cabin, a ten-year-old boy proudly shows his counselor the toad squirming in his hand.

The bustle of activity marks the first night of the Amputee Coalition of America’s Youth Camp at Camp Dream, which is tucked in the rural green countryside of the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation in Warm Springs, Georgia, made famous by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s visits to the springs for polio treatments. Sitting atop a hill overlooking Lake Dream, the site offers a picturesque place for children of all abilities to have fun in an accessible environment. Children and teens with limb loss a nd limb differences between the ages of 9 and 17 fly in from all over the country (this year 2 6 states were represented) to participate in four days of activities that help them build confidence and meet friends.

While it’s true that some campers come year after year, including a few who are now counselors, for many, this was a brand new experience. Out of the 60 campers who attended this year, more than 30 were new, and the ACA isn’t stopping there in its effort to find more children to bring in. As the camp continues to grow, so does the ACA’s commitment to providing campers with a quality experience that will benefit them throughout their adolescence. As one counselor noted, “for many children who attend camp, this is the only time all year they will be able to feel comfortable with their peers.” This in itself is the gift that only such a camp can offer.

Not only does ACA offer a unique camping experience to these youngsters and young adults, it does so at no cost to the campers’ parents, thanks to generous funding from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which provides funding for 50 children to attend. The rest of the fun ding is brought in through individual donations and fundraisers. In the six years that ACA has run the camp (this was the second year it was in Warm Springs), it has paid for everything, including airfare for all the campers. This means that not only can children of varying physical ability come together for meaningful education and recreation, but children of varying socio-economic backgrounds can participate regardless of their parents’ financial status.

Through a partnership with Blaze Sports, a national organization dedicated to teaching sports to people with various levels of mobility concerns, the camp was able to offer an exciting sport called wheelchair rugby, which quickly became a camp favorite. Among the other programs offered were bowling, wheelchair basketball, arts

& crafts, and canoeing. For many kids, it is the only time all year they will be able to participate in sports activities like these.

The ACA also tries to tie in topics of interest to the campers, such as body image discussions and peer chats that address issues of self-esteem. The campers were surprised by a visit from Josh Sundquist, a 2005 Paralympic skier who stopped in for a motivational speech and peer group discussion that offered a chance for the campers to connect with each other through common experience and share what was on their minds.

 Whether their child is trying a new sport, learning about nutrition, or simply going for a swim without being gawked at for having a limb difference, the campers’ parents are enthusiastic about discovering the ACA Youth camp and many plan to send their child back again. Even in the early morning hours as kids climbed aboard the buses to head home, a young girl excitedly waved goodbye to her counselor, chattering about how she couldn’t wait until next year.