NH camp gives people with disabilities a week they'll never forget - for free

GILMANTON IRONWORKS, NH — For one week, Camp Fatima in New Hampshire transforms into a place where anything is possible.

"Campers come up here and they can do anything. They're normal. They're regular. Just kids at summer camp,” said Massachusetts District Court Judge and volunteer counselor Mary McCabe.

From horseback riding to swimming to arts and crafts, counselors help make sure the campers have an experience they usually cannot, and one they’ll never forget.

It's called Exceptional Citizens Week; it's a co-ed camp for children and adults age nine and up with intellectual or physical challenges.

It’s completely free for the 170 campers and their caregivers, and the camp is wheelchair accessible and provides an on-site healthcare team 24/7.

Shelby Cashman is a TV anchor in Oklahoma and has come all the way to New Hampshire as a volunteer to help make sure the kids have the best week possible.

“It fills you up with so much love and gets you through the rest of the year,” said Cashman.

Camper Danny Melanson has down syndrome, and there are many things he cannot do alone. At camp on Wednesday, he was horseback riding and smiling the whole time.

Along with horseback riding, campers play sports, do target practice with BB guns, ride boats and the list of activities goes on.

Though a goal is to give the campers a great time, it also aims to help their families for a week with the 24-7 caregiving.

"Many of their caregivers have never take a vacation since the day their child was born so never got to spend time with a partner or other kids,” said McCabe.

But the counselors say as much it helps them just as much as the kids and families. Joe Minehan, a Boston Fire Captain with Ladder 11 in Brighton, says it’s made him a better firefighter.

“You have kids here every day of their lives they are fighting a fight that none of us could imagine and they do it with a smile on their face. They do it with grace. They do it with passion,” said Minehan.

Since the camp started in 1953, it has served more than 10,000 campers.

Cox Media Group