Quest’s Camp Thunderbird has been offering adults with developmental disabilities an exciting summer camp experience for over 60 years. Many people who come to camp are repeat guests because it gives them a vacation and provides respite for their caregivers.
Sammy is one such guest. Sammy has Mosaic Down Syndrome, or Mosaicism, which is an extremely rare form of Down syndrome and only accounts for about 1% of cases. During the school year, Sammy volunteers at a daycare nearby and during the summer, she comes to Quest’s Camp Thunderbird. She has been coming to camp for 19 years.
“It’s like a second home to me,” she said. “I enjoy coming every summer.”
She loves being able participate in all of the activities and explore nature. Her favorite activity is arts and crafts and she really enjoyed making slime during one of the earlier sessions.
Over the years, she has made many friends. Guests at camp come from all over the place, as do the staff. This year is a little different because of COVID, but in previous years, many of the camp staffers were international. “I’m learning about people and where they come from,” she said. “I get to learn about different places. I’ve had recent friends from Jamaica, New Zealand and Ireland.”
She loves to make memories and having friends and other guests sign her shirt is one of her camp traditions. “The way I do my shirts is a way of looking back at the memories I experienced at summer that year,” she said.
Now that camp is ending for this year, she’s already excited about next year. “I’m really looking forward to having fun next year,” she said. “I’m hoping they do something different. I would love to go on a field trip and go somewhere.”
If there is anyone that is hesitant about coming to camp, Sammy says, “it’s okay to be scared.” But she wants them to know that “the activities are completely safe and optional.”
We look forward to seeing Sammy next summer and for many more camp sessions to come!
