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About Us

special needs camp Park Rapids Minnesota

The Camp of Champs has become a leading resource for families looking for LIFE SKILLS camps.  Camp was born out of a vision to help young people connect with others who have similar experiences while learning valuable life skills. The camp opened in 2006 and has hosted over 1,600 children on their character growth journey.  The Camp of Champs has been recognized as a top special needs camps in Minnesota but diagnosis with a particular special need is not required. Campers who attend share many common characteristics of neuro typical kids: desire to connect with others, work on important transition skills, and develop meaningful experiences and memories that will shape their future.

CAMP DIRECTORS

 

Read Trav & Sarah's Biography

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Travis and Sarah have 25 years of experience in Minnesota public schools as special education teachers. They created the Character Challenge Course, a high ropes course, team building, and confidence center.  Their mission is to help children discover their strengths, build their confidence, and grow to develop their social, emotional, and behavioral skills. Sarah and Travis bring a strong background to their roles as Camp Director:

  • Emotional/Behavioral Disorders Teachers with over 30 years of combined experience

  • Design behavior interventions for families

  • Sarah was nominated for Minnesota Teacher of the Year in 2011

  • Recreation directors for 50 years of experience & managers of Eagle Beach Resort

  • Facilitate children and teen programming

  • On-site character development for schools and youth programs

  • Travis has his Masters’ Degree in Special Education and Work-Based Learning Licensure

HEALTH & FOOD

 

At the Camp of Champs, the health and safety of your child is the number one priority. As we follow American Camp Association requirements for our accreditation, there is a fully equipped health center to care for the needs of your child 24 hours. A hospital and clinic are also located 10 miles from camp. We have a physician available by phone as well. Please be sure all mandatory health history forms are turned in prior to camp to meet your child's needs. All medications MUST be in the containers from the pharmacist with the doctor's prescription.

 

The Camp of Champs work with a food service director to develop daily meal plans that meet Minnesota Department of Health standards for nutrition as well as portion size. We can accommodate food allergies or dietary needs. (Please contact us with specific questions/concerns.) We do our best to help your child love the meals, while having a limited amount of sugar. There will be daily snacks. Campers are allowed to bring additional snacks to camp, but they will be monitored by staff. 

FACILITIES

 

The DOJO Log Retreat Center is your child's home away from home. The center features sleeping arrangements for 20+ guests, 2 full kitchens and over 5,000 sq feet of living space. Safety is the foremost quality of the DOJO but the picturesque environment comes in a close second. There are so many activity areas to participate in at camp, that your child will have a hard time selecting what to do during supervised free time!

Your child will need to bring a towel, a sleeping bag, and a pillow. Complete list can be found here.

ATHLETICS & AQUATICS

  • Obstacle course

  • Zip line

  • High Ropes Course

  • Shuffleboard

  • Sandlot volleyball

  • Tetherball

  • Full playground area

  • Ping pong

  • Foosball & Air Hockey

  • Access to Eagle Lake

  • Gaga Ball & Yard Games

  • Kayaks and canoes

  • Many fish to be caught!

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