12345 The 1978 Pastoral Statement of U.S. Catholic Bishops on People with Disabilities encouraged Dioceses and Parishes across the United States to adopt disability ministry programs. As a result, in 1980 Bishop John J. Snyder founded the Ministry for Persons with Disabilities in the Diocese of St. Augustine. Over the past 27 years, the ministry has succeeded in creating opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate more fully in life, and in the life of the Church. One of the most successful components of the Ministry for Persons with Disabilities is the summer camp program. In 1984, Camp I Am Special was created in order to allow children with disabilities to participate in a recreational and residential summer camp. Over the past 10 years, the summer camp program has blossomed from its original week into eight separate weeks, serving approximately 300 children, teenagers, and young adults each summer. All eight weeks of camp are held at Camp St. John along the eastern bank of the St. John's River in northern St. John's County.
12345 The Ministry for Persons with Disabilities has worked collaboratively with Catholic Charities, BASCA, and the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD). In 1995, when Camp I Am Special’s original group of campers began to “age out,” the Ministry for Persons with Disabilities teamed up with BASCA to begin Camp Promise. This camp was created as a “promise” to our campers that they would always have a summer camp to attend. BASCA provided a large number of qualified staff to assist with Camp Promise’s inception and growth.
12345 In 1996, the Ministry for Persons with Disabilities was approached by CARD with a vision of starting a summer camp for children with Autism and related disabilities. As a result, Camp Care was created. To this day, CARD serves as a valuable resource as Camp Care continues to be a beacon of light to a group of campers that would otherwise have no opportunity to benefit from a camp experience.
12345 Despite our rapid growth over the past decade, we continue to expand. Over the past few months, the Disabilities Ministry has announced the addition of an eighth week of summer camp that will take place in the summer of 2008. This newest session of camp will support young adults over the age of 30, and it will allow us to continue to serve our campers who have benefited from our program for so many years. Also, we are proud to announce our new mini-camp program. We now offer weekend mini-camps throughout the year in an effort to allow additional persons to benefit from our camp, as well as providing families with a few days of respite. For more information about our new mini-camp program, click here.
12345 Though our program is rich in history, we realize there is still history to be made!
