Christian Beret has been providing camping experience for people with special needs for the last 44 years. They operate a weeklong summer camp located around 65 miles east of Modesto in the Sierra Nevada. In the last two decades, the camps were held at the Christian Berets Conference and Retreat Center in Mi-Wuk Village.
The camp allows people with special needs the ability to hang out with their peers. And because it is ran by a Christian organization, the campers gather around the campfire to sing songs about Jesus and watch the sun go down. They also sleep outdoors underneath the moonlight. They also have a water day when the campers help firefighters turn a fire hose on camp counselors.
Executive Director Tom Crooker said that his father Don founded the nonprofit organization to offer a summer camp for people with developmental and physical disabilities. The summer camp has always been focused on Christ. Most of their campers have cerebral palsy or Down syndrome. They range from teens to adults and they come back each year.
During this summer, the Christian Berets have run five camps. The last one focused on teens and young adults. Chad Wilson, summer camps director, said that around 150 campers have attended their 2014 summer camps. Scholarships are also available in order to cover the camp fee.
Most of the campers come from Stockton and Modesto areas. Christian Beret provides the campers the chance to be outdoors in a wholesome setting. Wilson said that it gives the kids’ families and caretakers a short break from looking after a person with disability.
There are some parents who were nervous about sending their kid to the camp, especially if it will be the first time the kid will be away from home. The camp allows teens with disability to be more independent and be with other teens.
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