Help Us Make Farm Camp Accessible to Every Child

I remember exactly where I was when I got a phone call from a mom, the night before registration opened for our second summer of Farm Camp. She wanted to know if camp would be a good fit for her son. She shared that her child is autistic. She told me that when they visit parks or other public places, other kids often leave because of his behaviors. She was nervous to ask—but she really believed her son would love Farm Camp.

I told her about my experience working with children with disabilities, and how deeply I believe that every child should have the chance to experience camp. I shared what we could offer and asked if she’d be willing to walk alongside us—communicating openly about how we were or weren’t meeting her son’s needs.

She was so grateful—and she signed him up the next day.

That summer, we learned a lot. It was a phenomenal week, especially with this camper, but it also made something very clear: in order to best support campers with disabilities, we need to hire additional staff—people dedicated to helping each camper fully participate while also supporting the rest of the group. That kind of care takes people, and people take funding.

But how could we pay for that?

When we plan our camp budget and set registration prices, we don’t know how many campers will request accommodations. And even if we did, it wouldn’t feel right to build that cost into everyone’s fees—or pass it along to the families requesting support.

That’s when something amazing happened.

At the end of that second summer, a congregation reached out. They had raised money during their Vacation Bible School and wanted to donate it to our farm. I was floored. And then I knew exactly what we should do with it: we started the scholarship fund.

That fund allowed us to go into Year 3 with money already set aside to hire the extra staff our campers with disabilities needed. It didn’t raise the cost of camp. It didn’t fall on the shoulders of the families. It just made full participation possible—for everyone.

In Year 3, we had 2 campers request accommodations.

In Year 4, we had 4.

And this year—we have 8!

And that brings me to why I’m writing today.

Our scholarship fund is currently $550 short of covering the extra staff we need this summer to support our campers with disabilities.

We get asked all the time: “How can we help Farm Camp?” Well—this is one powerful way.

If you believe in a world where every child is welcomed, supported, and celebrated, please consider giving to our scholarship fund. Your donation—whatever the size—directly helps us hire the amazing staff who make it possible for all kids to fully experience Farm Camp.

Let’s make sure every child gets to be a farmer!

Farm Camp Scholarship

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Any money given over and beyond what is needed this year will stay in the scholarship fund to be used next summer.