What is Camp HUGG/GIFT? These are two camps that the South Carolina Lutheran Church Youth have for high school students and those 21 and older who are special needs folks in the Lexington area. These camps are two camps that are loaded with six hours of fun and singing. Camp is staffed by Lutheran Church Youth who have completed their freshman year in high school and up, and both camps are camps that will change your life forever.
Camp HUGG is a camp that lasts a week where 20 youth staff give up a week of their summer to spend time with some of the most amazing kids on this planet. There are approximately 18 campers at this camp, and that is the perfect number. Camp HUGG is the camp for young adults with special needs from ages 18 to 21. This just means that a young adult who has special needs can attend HUGG until they turn 21 years old, and then they are moved into the older camp, which is Camp GIFT.
Like any other camp, we always have a theme. For the 2016 camps, our theme was Mad Scientists. Of course, all of the staff took this and ran with it. We had so much fun — from making slime to traveling on a "time machine: and being "in the future."
This camp is one that is life-changing for the staff members for numerous reasons. Staff arrives at camp a day early in order to set up and get to meet with the coach and teachers from the high school that the campers attend in an effort to get to know them just a little bit better. Once the coach and teachers inform us of everyone, we as staff then decide who is going to be our buddy for the week. We take what we were taught regarding the campers and buddy ourselves up to be one on one with them for the week. At camp, we do numerous skits, songs and games. One day we even go to the zoo. We go canoeing and swim almost every day. Over the course of a week, we as a staff grow close to each other but more importantly, we grow closer to the campers. We see the inner beauty of each and every camper that passes through the camp and not just their physical disabilities.
At the end of the week, we have a parent program where we introduce the campers and staff to all the parents. Throughout the week, we take several pictures and we make our buddy a scrapbook and we give them a camp superlative. For me, Camp HUGG has been a special part of my life for the past three years, and it has been the most amazing camp ever. I have grown closer to other youth in the state as well as the campers who would come to camp the past years I was in attendance.
One year, my buddy was new to Camp HUGG. We met on Monday morning and had an absolute blast the entire week together. Unknown to me, my buddy had never been away from Mom and Dad until this camp. This camp was something that made my buddy light up, and I will never forget how appreciative Mom and Dad were that we were a camp that their child could attend.
I love Camp HUGG, and I strongly urge everyone to take the time to participate in a special needs camp if they have the opportunity. It will change your life forever.
