In the hills of Spencer lies Lions Camp Badger – a summer camp experience that is accessible to all, no matter their ability. The camp offers five summer sessions for all ages and abilities to not only gain independence, but to make friends at a traditional summer camp.
Pat Gillule became camp director three years ago and has strived to match the camp programs to the campers. She and the rest of the counselors serve campers with a range of emotional and intellectual disabilities.
This summer is the camp’s biggest year yet with a total of 79 campers staying at the cabins for the programs that range from life and communication skills to athletics, with the end result of empowerment and confidence for the campers.
Badgers range in age with different sessions throughout the summer. Age groups include Junior Badgers (12 – 20), Senior Badgers (21 – 35) and Super Senior Badgers (ages 35 and up). For those with more individualized intellectual disabilities, there is the Buddy Badgers program which offers one-on-one camper-counselor attention to specific needs.
Gillule, who is already a full-time special education teacher at Candor High School and mother of five, is excited about one of the new projects (or her “baby” as she put it), Breakthrough Badgers, which serves campers with emotional disabilities and needs. This program is structured toward those who may be going through a shift in their lives, Gillule said, and need positive support through it.
In addition to providing fun for the kids and relaxation for the adults, Lions Camp Badger also offers vocational experiences. Their popular kitchen skills session teaches the basics of cooking, food, and customer service and more relating to basic interview skills and other job necessities.
“A lot of the campers are hard workers,” Gillule said. “They just need structure.”
The whole camp is accessible, including the golf carts which are made to fit wheelchairs. But the camp is still making improvements. For example, the already accessible bathrooms will become even more accessible once renovations take place. Gillule also hopes to upgrade their garden into a raised-bed garden. It’s all about tailoring the camp to the campers, she said.
Tori Masters has been a camp counselor for four years, and during that time she has been able to watch some of her campers grow.
“If they were at a regular camp, they wouldn’t always be able to have the same experiences as other campers,” Masters said. She said it is her job to provide the most typical summer camp experience as possible.
They do this through special programs such as square dancing led by a local caller, athletic programs like field hockey led by counselors and the Spencer Youth Field Hockey, arts and crafts, swimming, music, and any other camp activity imaginable.
Counselor Jeremy Mondor is a first-year counselor at Lions Camp Badger. He says while working with his campers, especially those who are nonverbal, he has to come up with creative ways to keep them engaged. He finds fulfillment out of what could be a daunting task for some. Both he and Masters relish in the small victories, watching their campers make improvements.
Ally, 13, is a camper who Masters has worked with for many summers. Her favorite part of Camp is the bookmobile, movie night and making friends, she said.
Another camper, Sydney, 19, has been one of Gillule’s students at Candor High School for years. Sydney communicates by pointing at a letter board while Gillule types what she is spelling into an iPad, one of the many pieces of assistive technology that the campers use. Sydney enjoys the safety and comfort of the camp and that she has “dear friends here.”
Gillule sees the potential of her camp as it is slowly growing. “We have more space than we know what to do with,” she said about some of the old vacant cabins that are not open to the campers yet. “This camp has the potential to really make a difference,” she added, with an obvious display of modesty because campers seem to love every minute of camp.
“It’s just ten days out of the year,” she said, “but it’s better than nothing.”
To learn more about the camp, visit www.lionscb.org. Sessions began on July 5 and run through Aug. 8.
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