Farm Camp is for ALL Children

In the middle of Farm Camp this summer, someone captured a photograph of two children walking hand in hand.

One of those children is blind.

Someone looking at the picture might simply see two campers holding hands. But when I look at it, I see so much more.

I see a child who made a new friend that week. I see a child who recognized that her friend sometimes needed a little extra support. I see a child who watched our staff offer that support with kindness and respect, and then she chose, completely on her own, to be a helper too.

It was a small moment, but it represented something much bigger.

Throughout the whole month of June, we saw moment after moment like this as campers with disabilities participated alongside their peers. Children helped one another navigate activities, included one another in conversations and adjusted without being told that something needed to be different.

That is why making Farm Camp accessible to all children matters so deeply.

It Matters for the Child Who Needs Support

Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, explore, get dirty, meet animals, make friends and experience the joy of camp. A child should not be excluded from those experiences because they need additional assistance, a modified activity, a quieter space, more time or a staff member walking beside them.

Accessibility does not mean every child experiences camp in exactly the same way. It means we are willing to ask what each child needs so they can fully belong. For some campers, that may mean having a one-on-one support person. For others, it may mean adapting how we explain an activity, allowing additional breaks or simply taking time to understand how that child communicates.

These accommodations do more than help a child participate in Farm Camp. They allow that child to build confidence, practice independence, form friendships and discover new things they are capable of doing.

It Matters for Their Peers

Farm Camp being accessible is not only important for children with disabilities. It is important for every child who attends. Children learn so much from simply spending time with people whose experiences are different from their own. They learn that a friend may communicate differently, move differently, see the world differently or need a little more help with certain things.

They also learn that those differences do not prevent friendship. When children see our staff patiently offer assistance, explain something in a new way or make room for someone’s needs, they see kindness modeled in front of them. Very often, they begin offering that same kindness themselves. They do not need a long lesson about empathy. They practice it naturally.

The impact of these experiences extend far beyond the four days they spend at Farm Camp. A child who learns to notice, include and support someone at camp may carry that understanding into school, sports, church and every community they become part of.

That may be more important than anything we could ever teach them about farming.

It Matters for Our Staff

It was incredible to watch the staff applications arrive in the spring and discover the wealth of knowledge and experience our team already had working with children with disabilities. We entered the summer with an amazingly talented staff who were ready and eager to make Farm Camp the best possible experience for all of our campers.

But even with all the experience they brought to the table, there was still so much to learn, celebrate and be inspired by throughout the summer.

At our staff meetings, the stories were countless.

We celebrated when day 2 was worlds difference from day 1 for a child. We recognized a child’s desire to remain with their group as a meaningful sign that they felt comfortable, safe and included. We shared moments when another camper showed unexpected kindness and support to a child with a disability in their group. We talked through learning moments when a peer asked a very honest question and our staff had the opportunity to answer it with openness, kindness and respect.

These moments brought all of us so much joy. Those stories were constant reminders of why we do what we do.

It Matters for Parents

Some of the most beautiful conversations during Farm Camp happen on the porch. Parents sit together and share stories about their children. They talk about challenges, victories, diagnoses, school experiences and the things they hope their children will be able to do.

Sometimes parents discover that another family understands an experience they thought they were facing alone. Other times, a parent hears a story that is completely different from their own and leaves with a greater understanding of another family’s life. Those conversations create connection and connection builds empathy, something this world could us a lot more of.

The Most Important Work We Do

At Farm Camp, we teach children where their food comes from. They care for animals, work in the garden, prepare food and learn about agriculture. But the most important lessons may have very little to do with farming.

They are lessons about friendship, belonging, patience, compassion, and caring for one another.

Every opportunity we have to interact with someone who is different from us makes the world a little kinder, a little more understanding and a little more beautiful. This may be the most important work we do at Farm Camp.

Farm Camp is for all children, and we are deeply thankful to every person who helps make that possible.

Thank you to the staff members who step forward to offer their talents.

Thank you to the families who trust us with their children and openly share what those children need.

Thank you to the campers who welcome one another so naturally.

And thank you to every person who has donated to help us provide accommodations and one-on-one support for campers with disabilities. Your donations make a tremendous difference. Their impact reaches far beyond the child receiving an accommodation. They touch that child’s family, fellow campers, our staff and the wider community those children help shape.

When you help make Farm Camp accessible, you are helping create a place where every child belongs. And that makes all of us better.

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