Camp PossAbility, Inc., exists to give high functioning young adults with physical disabilities an opportunity to relax, refresh, let their guard down, and enjoy a week at a camp adapted just for them. **Camp is based out of Fort Wayne, Indiana, but will be held at Bradford Woods in Martinsville, Indiana.

Changes and Moving Forward

UPDATE 1/31/2022

This is a very difficult update to write and one that there are not adequate words for: Camp PossAbility's Board of Directors and I have decided to cancel camp for this year.

Currently, we are unsure of what the future will look like for camp, and the Board of Directors will be evaluating that in the upcoming months.

I began the process of starting Camp PossAbility in 2013. In 2014, we became a 501(c)3, and in 2015 we had our first week of camp. Until the end of 2019, I worked entirely on my own volunteer time to run the camp, often putting in more hours than a full-time job. While we had multiple volunteers come and go, I was the primary person running camp.

At the end of 2019, Nick Younglove joined our team doing contract work and in 2020, he became the Operations Lead, helping me run many of the day-to-day aspects of camp. However, even with his amazing addition to the team and our addition of a small salary for each of us, the hours necessary to run camp (especially for me) were much more than what my salary paid.

In addition to the immense volunteer hours that camp requires, the world has also changed significantly since we began. At the core of what Camp PossAbility does is providing medical respite and quality medical care, including physical therapy and nursing. Our medical staff has always been a volunteer team and sacrificed a week of vacation and rest to serve our campers. Now with the world's changing environment, many are unable to dedicate a full week to volunteer and provide for our camper's extensive medical needs.

Life is rapidly changing for me as well. For those of you who know me, you also know that my passion very much lies with serving those who have physical disabilities, particularly those with traumatic spinal cord injuries. Within the year, I will be completing my training as a Family Nurse Practitioner, and I will continue to serve that same community in another capacity as a healthcare provider. However, this change does not permit me to continue to donate hundreds of hours of volunteer time to running camp.

While this news is sad, we also have a lot to celebrate:

• --Camp PossAbility has served over 150 campers with physical disabilities in its 8 years
• --Camp PossAbility has had over 300 volunteers who have served with us in 8 years
• --We have trained countless new healthcare professionals about caring for adults with physical disabilities
• --Many students gained service learning hours with our camp
• --We were able to provide a great service to our campers and the community that did not exist
• --Many of our young adults now are involved in community and have friends that they otherwise would have missed out on
• --We developed relationships with many amazing donors who helped make our camp weeks happen
• --Several families were able to serve together during camp week (including my own)

The blessings and celebrations of camp will live on for years to come and we will treasure every memory.

For those who have already registered for camp in 2022, we will be refunding your fees within the next week.

We are so thankful for all of you who have been a part of this amazing camp--from volunteers to campers to board members to donors. Camp PossAbility has taken every single one of you to be successful and for that, I am truly grateful.

So for now, we celebrate the past and all we have accomplished, and we look forward to new beginnings and new adventures.

Sincerely,

Lauren Harmison

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Targeted Result: That young people with disabilities would see their potential and need to be an active part of society and would feel empowered to make a difference in the world around them

Target Audience: Young adults ages 18 to 35 with physical disabilities who have a high school diploma or equivalent. All campers must have a physical impairment that requires a wheelchair for mobility.

Most Common Disabilities Served: Cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury

Exclusions: Autism, cognitive disabilities (other than mild), severe memory loss, combative behaviors, uncontrolled psychiatric disabilities, biting tendencies, ventilators, hospitalization within 30 days of camp, open wounds, or behaviors that are a high risk to others

Location: Bradford Woods, Martinsville, Indiana

Organization: 501(c)3, all-volunteer run