Camp Courage wrapped up its 49th season this past week with great attendance.
John Hunter says numbers bounced back this year, after a pair of down years due to Covid-19: “It was another successful year. This year was so much better than last year. Our temperatures were much, much cooler. It was great sleeping weather. We got a little bit of rain on the night before the end of camp. Some of the kids were out on the pontoon boats and they had to come back in a little early because they got rained out. It’s a new experience for the kids. They can look back at this year and say ‘Hey, do you remember the year that we were out on the pontoon boats and it rained on us?’ So, there is always new experiences out here, and it’s just been a phenomenal year as far as the weather and excitement. We are still a little bit low on numbers. We can stand to have a few more campers. We are at 24, and we would like to be up around 35. We’re still just a bit low and we’re always looking for new campers.”
The camp is for kids ages 6 and up who have physical, visual or hearing disabilities to visit the Western Illinois Camp Ground at Lake Jacksonville for a true summer camp experience – like swimming, boating, and crafts among other activities.
Entertainment was provided on separate evenings by Casey’s DJ Service and by the band Harmony Grits with special guest Robert Sampson. Local fraternal organizations and service organizations provided dinner or treats on separate nights. The Jacksonville AMBUCS cooked dinner on Wednesday night, and the Zingabad Grotto Bus provided desserts during the Thursday night dance.
Hunter says if someone would like to find out more information about Camp Courage or volunteer, they can call him directly at 217-473-6363. Hunter says a new website and social media presence is being built to bring more visibility to the camp in the hopes of attracting more campers in the subsequent years.
Jeremy Coumbes assisted with this report.