Dates & Rates
- Special Family CampMay 24 – May 26 $130 – $180
Special Family Camp is designed for kids and adults with special needs or who are neurodivergent and their entire families to enjoy a camp experience in an inclusive, supportive environment. Spend Memorial Day Weekend in a beautiful outdoor setting, and enjoy camp activities like archery, boating, fishing, arts & crafts, hiking, marine touch tanks, adaptive bikes, and more.
Highlights of Special Family Camp
- A welcoming, supportive environment for the entire family
- A team of dedicated volunteers and staff to support you throughout the weekend
- Networking and resource-sharing with lots of other local families with kids with disabilities
- Adaptive activities for all ages and abilities
- A completely flexible schedule allowing you to set your own pace
- A beautiful setting on Vashon Island
Who Can Attend?
Special Family Camp is geared toward kids and adults with a disability or who are neurodivergent, but all family members are welcome and encouraged to attend, including siblings and extended family.
Activities
This event is designed to be as action-packed or as relaxing as you want it to be. The schedule is completely flexible, allowing you to do only the activities you want to do. Activity options will include archery, boating, arts & crafts, hikes, adaptive bikes and more. Try riding an adaptive bicycle this year, provided by OutdoorsForAll (there’s a bike for everyone – seriously!). In the evenings, gather around the campfire for songs, skits, s’mores, and a talent show.
Meals & Accommodations
Families stay in camp-style cabins with basic utilities. Each family is housed in their own room, although they may share a building with another family. A limited number of accessible cabins are available. Bathrooms are located nearby in separate buildings. Most cabins are heated, you may also choose to stay in an unheated (open-air) cabin. All meals are provided during the weekend. As well as snacks, coffee and tea will also be available. Most special diets can be accommodated, please provide any dietary restrictions during the registration process.
Dates, Cost & Registration
Registration open: February 24, 2025 – April 24, 2025
Camp Dates: May 24-26, 2025
Cost: $180 per adult (ages 18+), $130 per youth (ages 2-17), Youth under the age of 2 are free.
Day-Only Option: We are also offering an option for those who want to attend only during the day – either Saturday (12pm to 9pm) or Sunday (9am to 9pm).
(Note: DDA is no longer available for Special Family Camp).
As of 2024, we cannot accept DDA payment for Special Family Camp. The reason for this is that DDA allocates their payments for respite care only, and Special Family Camp does not qualify as a respite care program. The exception would be if a child eligible for DDA funding were to attend the program without their primary caregivers. This has been true for a while, but there was some inconsistency in how DDA caseworkers applied the policies across the board. To help DDA uphold their policies and maintain our working relationship with them, we can no longer bill DDA for Special Family Camp. Please note that this change does not impact our day and overnight summer camp programs, which do still qualify as respite care.
Camp Fire recognizes that these changes may affect a family’s ability to pay for camp programs. We know that raising a differently-wired child comes with additional costs and burdens on the family. To assist in making Special Family Camp accessible, we offer a couple of options:
- Flexible scheduled payment plans
- Financial assistance, available through an application process.
- Completed assistance request packets are due no later than Saturday, March 22nd to be reviewed and considered.
Financial assistance is available for a wide variety of income levels and we also consider extenuating circumstances, including the costs associated with caregiving for a child with significant support needs. Financial assistance is limited, and families must complete the entire application process on time to be eligible. More information about the application process and eligibility criteria can be found here:
Additional Questions?
For Program and Event related questions: contact Natalie Copeland at nataliec@campfireseattle.org
For Registration, Financial Assistance and DDA questions: contact Kim Roeser at kimr@campfireseattle.org