Swims suits? Check. Activities? Check. Fun? Double-check.

Sounds like a summer camp! And this summer our Orange County and Miami-Dade County programs hosted their annual Special Olympics Summer Camps.

In June of 1963, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Founder of Special Olympics, invited 35 boys and girls with intellectual disabilities to "Camp Shriver," a day camp at her home in Rockville, MD, to explore their capabilities in a variety of sports and physical activities.

Camp Shriver became an annual event, growing beyond Mrs. Shriver's backyard and between 1963 and 1968 more than 300 camps similar to Camp Shriver were started throughout the United States. These camps lead to the very first Special Olympics Games in Chicago in 1968

But at these summer camps, Special Olympics athletes weren't the only ones benefiting. What sets these camps apart from others is that they are inclusive: campers with intellectual disability have fun alongside non-disabled peer mentors or “partners.” The Camp Directors say a key focus is to build and develop, lasting, positive relationships between campers, partners and volunteers

This summer was Special Olympics Miami-DadeÂ’s third camp and Special Olympics Orange County's second. The camps offer four weeks of summer activities including an array of traditional sports activities, along with other traditional camp activities like arts and crafts, music, dancing and field trips, for those age 8-18

Orange County Camp Co-Director Laurie Chmielewski said “We could have never imagined how life-transforming this experience would be for all involved…and the peer campers have all said this will shape who they are as adults.

Several of the peer campers have siblings with disabilities, like Lauren Campbell of Orange County, who said “having a sibling with a disability is hard but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. He has made me who I am today. And at Camp, they can all just be themselves.

Organizers are hoping to draw attention to this remarkable Camp so that the community will support their efforts in 2010, as it relies upon the generosity of individuals and organizations for their funding. There is absolutely no fee for the campers, peer campers or their families, to participate.

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