Summer camps are a fantastic way for kids with celiac disease to meet others, form a support network, and above all, have fun! Studies have shown that celiac disease in children can be isolating and depressing for some kids. Camps have been proven to help kids with self perception, improving their outlook on life (and their disease), as well as improving their overall well-being. It must be very liberating for a child who has been on a restricted gluten free diet to be at a camp where not only are there others just like them, but they can also eat anything they serve!
There are also camps that offer gluten free menus for the entire camp season if requested beforehand. Make sure to ask your favorite camp if they will consider this.
Let us know if you know of a camp that caters to kids with celiac disease, and we will add it to the list!
Camp Sponsor: Georgia R.O.C.K.
Location: Camp Will-A-Way at Fort Yargo State Park in Winder, Georgia
Dates: Family Camp: Sept. 10 to 12, 2010
Details: Georgia R.O.C.K. (Raising Our Celiac Kids) is sponsoring Camp Weekaneatit at for kids and teenagers with celiac disease, at Camp Will-A-Way. The fully-accessible camp at Will-A-Way features 16 camper cabins, which each sleep 14. The camp is complete with a dining hall, medical lodge, swimming pool and numerous exciting activity areas. Campers at Will-A-Way enjoy activities such as arts & crafts, swimming, ropes course, archery, sports, boating, fishing, nature, and more!
Camp Sponsor: Camp Westminster
Location: Camp Westminster on Higgins Lake in Roscommon, Michigan
Dates: Children ages 7 to 14, Details: This week promises all the fun of Camp Westminster, with food accurately and sensitively prepared by experienced cooks, for a traditional week of camp for children and youth with sensitivities to foods containing gluten and casein. New this year: a gluten-free menu will be available, with pre-registration, during any week of camp in 2010. If you have food related camp questions, please contact Deanna at dkseng99(at)voyager.net or Pam Jann at pamelajann(at)hotmail.com.
Camp Sponsor: Camp Fire USA in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Location: Camp Waluhili on scenic Fort Gibson Lake, 45 minutes from Tulsa
Details:Camp Waluhili lets gluten-free campers (and their siblings) have a traditional co-ed summer camp experience where kids can enjoy all the camp activities without concern for the gluten content of the food provided. Camp’s 219 acres of rolling hills, lush forest and ample shoreline offer a wide variety of areas for creative programs and activities. Features include swimming pool, low-element challenge course, rappelling cliff, miles of hiking trails, shooting and archery ranges, and much more. Resident camp programs are open to boys and girls entering grades 3 to 12.
Camp Sponsor: The Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG)
Location 1: Camp Kanata, Wake Forest, North Carolina
Location 2: Camp Sealth, Vashon Island, Washington
Details: GIG Kids Camps are mainstream, integrated camps, where kids must be aware of what foods are safe and not safe, ask questions and talk to others about their eating restrictions. Camp counselors are trained by GIG Staff. Gluten-free substitutions are available for meals and all activities. GIG dietitians are on site.
Camp Sponsor: Dallas R.O.C.K. (Raising Our Celiac Kids)
Location: Camp Gilmont in Gilmer, Texas
For children ages 7 to 15
Details: The Great Gluten Escape at Camp Gilmont gives campers the opportunity to participate in all camp activities without concern for the gluten content of the food provided. The camp prides itself on letting kids escape from the daily peer pressure of the “I can’t have that” syndrome. This camp also welcomes siblings between the ages of 7 to 15 who do not have celiac disease, dermatitis herpetiformis, or gluten intolerance (although all food will be gluten free).
Camp Sponsor: Celiac Disease Foundation
Location: Camp Arroyo, Livermore, California
For campers ages 9 to 17.
Details: Camp Arroyo, an old-fashioned summer camp for kids, offers a gluten-free week at no charge except for a $25 registration fee per camper. The camp encourages adults to volunteer as camp counselors, promising an amazing gluten-free camp experience for them, too.
Camp Sponsor: Celiac Sprue Association
Location: Camp Aldersgate, North Scituate, Rhode Island
Dates: August 8 to 13, 2010
For children and youth with celiac disease ages 7 to 16.
Details: Celebrating its 11th anniversary in 2010, Camp Celiac is one of the largest gluten-free camps in the United States, with children coming from across the United States and abroad. The camp is closed to all other groups during the gluten-free sessions, to allow for a gluten-free dining hall and atmosphere. Camp Celiac provides a full-time, registered nurse licensed in the state of Rhode Island to handle all medical needs including medications. Scholarships are available.
Camp Sponsor: Michigan Capital Celiacs/DH
Location: Camp Manitou-Lin on the shores of Ol’ Lake Barlow in Middleville, Michigan
Dates: 2010 Dates TBA
For children ages 7 to 14
Details: Camp fee is $450 for the week (a $75 deposit is required to hold a spot). Camp Manitou-Lin, on 160 acres, is a branch of the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids. Seventeen heated and carpeted cabins with bathrooms and showers will house campers, 10 to a cabin. For information, write to eclansingmi@yahoo.com or glutenfreemichigankidscamp@yahoo.com.
Gluten Free Fun Camp at Camp Courage, Maple Lake
ROCK – Twin Cities Chapter (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
August 10-13, 2010
www.glutenfreefuncamp.org
Email us through the “Gluten-Free Fun Camp” option in the dropdown on the Contact Us page.?
YMCA Camp Kanata, Wake Forest
in partnership with the Gluten Intolerance Group
www.campkanata.com
www.gluten.net
Camp Celiac, North Scituate
Aug 8 – 13, 2010
Hosted by the Celiac Sprue Association
Denise Segreti
Co-Director, Camp Celiac
www.campceliac.org
South Slope YMCA
282 West 49th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Y 2Z5
Tong Louie Family YMCA
14988 57 Avenue
Surrey, BC V3S 7S6
