Notable NC camps:
Camp Needles in the Pines, located in Eastern North Carolina, is a one-week residential camp for children with type 1 diabetes ages 8 to 14 years. Activities include swimming, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, archery, crafts, rifle range, tenting, and improved self-help skills. Camp is located at Camp Boddie, Boy Scout Camp at Blounts Creek, NC. The camp will be held July 20-25, 2025. The medical staff consists of volunteers from the hospital, medical school, and university. Registration deadline is May 16, 2025.
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Victory Junction is part of SeriousFun Children’s Network (SFCN), an alliance of nine camps nationally and 30 camps worldwide that serve children dealing with serious medical condition and chronic illnesses.
Session 1 – Bleeding/GI: June 8-12
Session 2 – Cerebral Palsy: June 15-19
Session 3 – Sickle Cell/Oncology: June 22-26
Session 4 – Neuro/Genetics/Autism: June 29 – July 2
Session 5 – Physical Disability/Craniofacial/Spina Bifida: July 6-10
Session 6 – Heart, Lung, and Kidney Diagnoses: July 13-17
Session 7 – Rheumatology/Immunology/Skeletal Dysplasia: July 20-24
Session 8 – Siblings Week: July 27-31
Session 9 – Diabetes Week in Partnership with American Diabetes Association (Camp Carolina Trails): August 3-7
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Camping weeks each summer for campers aged 6 to 16
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June 15 – 20: SIBLINGS – well children with a chronically ill sibling
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June 22 – 27: NEURO – epilepsy & neurological disorders
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June 29 – July 4: CANCER – leukemia & other cancers, Down syndrome
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July 6 – 11: SPINA BIFIDA – spinal cord disorders & injuries
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July 13 – 18: KIDS – well children with a chronically ill parent
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July 20 – 25: HEMOPHILIA/TURNER’S – bleeding disorders, von Willebrand disease & Turner syndrome
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July 27 – Aug 1: Sickle Cell – Administered by Piedmont Health Services; information call 336.274.1507
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Inclusive Summer Day Camps are open to children ages 5-12, with or without disabilities. Campers participate in a variety of activities from 9 am – 2 pm each day, including horseback riding, arts and crafts, learning about farm animals, and painting ponies.
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Week-long residential and day camp sessions from age 4 up to older adults. Campers are assigned to weeks according to their age and level. Camp Royall provides typical camp activities such as swimming, arts and crafts, hiking, hayrides, and boating in a structured environment to meet the needs of their campers.
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Camp Holiday is a summer day camp for campers with Down syndrome, ages 5-21. Campers enjoy weekly yoga, drama and music/movement classes facilitated by trained professionals.
Camp Horizon is a 4-day/3-night traditional overnight camp experience at YMCA Camp Harrison in Boomer, NC. Participating campers with Down syndrome, ages 10-17, enjoy traditional camp activities, including horseback riding, arts & crafts, boating, fishing, swimming and more.
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The American Diabetes Association Camp Carolina Trails is an exciting week of summer fun for boys and girls ages 6 to 16 from August 3–7, 2025. Camp Carolina Trails is a free overnight camp made possible by a partnership with Victory Junction, which allows us to offer this program at no cost to camp families. Campers will have tons of fun swimming, boating on the lake, challenging themselves on the adventure tower, crafting, and so much more! Camp Carolina Trails is intended for children with diabetes to develop the critical skills needed to thrive while managing this disease.
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The mission of Surfers Healing is to enrich the lives of people living with autism by exposing them to the unique experience of surfing.
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SOAR is a private, non-profit outdoor adventure summer camp serving youth and young adults with learning disabilities and/or AD/HD. SOAR serves both males and females, ages 8-25. Most SOAR participants are high functioning, intelligent, and struggle with issues such as impulsivity, disorganization, oppositionality, inattention, challenges with social skills, etc. Some participants may have additional diagnoses such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Tourettes, high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder, among others. See website for the large variety of camps offered.
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The day camp welcomes rising 2-12 grade students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) ages 7-21, and rising 2nd-8th-grade students without IDD, ages 7-14. The program offers a socialization opportunity that will minimize the invisible line that often separates individuals with special needs from their typical behavior peers. Camp Trusted Parents focuses on building friendships between children with and without special needs, through the use of therapeutic activities and traditional camp recreation, designed to promote fun and socialization.
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Developmentally delayed children ages 2 to 9 years can maintain learning and language skills gained during the school year by enrolling in the program.
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Camps offer both outdoor adventure curriculum as well as traditional camp experiences (plays, s’mores, and campfire songs, to name a few). They provide leadership opportunities, social skill-building, and enhance personal accountability while fostering increased independence and self-esteem.
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Hundreds of volunteers, people of all ages with disabilities, and entire families come together for an epic day in the ocean August 3rd, 2025.
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Ages 6 to 15 years old Camp Friendly is offered at two locations:
Durant Nature Preserve – Located in Northeast Raleigh, Durant Nature Preserve provides our campers outdoor, open space and opportunities for natural resource-based recreation and environmental experiences. You will find more nature-based, adventure type activities at this location.
Carolina Pines Community Center – Located on Lake Wheeler Road, Carolina Pines hosts many other camps throughout the summer in addition to Camp Friendly. Utilizing the center’s many sports courts and fields, activity rooms and playground, campers will experience a more traditional type of summer day camp experience.
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Phil's List 