Parent - Kim Yu
A Letter to Camp

Dear Dragonfly Forest:

Thank you for providing this great opportunity for our son, who had a chance to experience sleep-over camp without us.  Thank you for giving us the confidence that he had the ability to do this and experienced new things.  Thanks to his counselor who took care of him all the time in the camp.  On the way home, he had said that he would come again next year.  We were surprised that he would say that.  From the bottom of our hearts say THANK YOU to all of you.  My child would not have experienced camp like typical kids without your CARING. 

Please keep working to help all the special need kids.

Thank you. We hope we will see you again next year.

Parent - Lynn Kolonauski
A Parent's Optimism

I am finally getting to this thank you email.  My kids had a WONDERFUL week at Dragonfly Forest.

My son had a great time and I am so grateful that he had the chance to experience Dragonfly.  He is normally independent at home so I have not had the chance to fully gauge his progress as a result of camp.  Perhaps the biggest change is in me.  I offer him more freedom because he's been tested and successful at Dragonfly.  I now allow him more responsibility because I have more optimism about him.  Does that make any sense?

As much as I am grateful that my son got to experience Dragonfly as a camper, I am equally grateful that the girls got to be volunteers.   They left The Forest every day talking excitedly and nonstop from the second they sat in the car and then for another 90 minutes after we got home.  They enjoyed the kids and the experience and they appreciated how the other "real" counselors treated them and included them.  In fact, both girls talked frequently about the skills and patience of the counselors.  I hope my girls apply what they've learned at Dragonfly.

Thanks again and I hope that we will see you all next summer!  Dragonfly Forest has been a true gift to our family.

Observer - Michelle Breedlove Sells, The Dempster Family Foundation
What I Observed

Independence Day came early this year for those that attended the first ever summer camp designed for kids ages 7-14 diagnosed with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.  There is no question in my mind that this camp changed the lives of each and every one of these kids, it absolutely changed mine. Many of the kids had never spent a night away from home.

As soon as you step onto the campus, there is a breath of “this place is good” that washes over you. Take a few steps and you’re bound to cross the path of the “green group” off to the ropes course, the “yellow group” shuffling to arts & crafts, or the “red group” wrapped in colorful towels, headed to the giant indoor pool. Big deep breath……… this place is good!

If, you’re wondering how a special needs camp is different from a “normal” camp… It isn’t… much. The only differences I observed were; a very high counselor to camper ratio, more medical staff, and sometimes a little extra explaining of an activity. The rest was exactly what you’d expect, kids having old- fashion fun. Laughing, being loud, trying new things in the presence of others trying new things; which let’s face it, tend to make “trying new things” easier! Girls whispering to each other about a crush on a boy, boys running around oblivious to their suitors, squirting each other with water guns! Some kids sticking right by their counselor’s side and others asserting their new found freedom amongst friends! It was a spectacular sight to behold. I am forever changed for having spent a week with these kids in West Chester, PA.

Counselor - Paul Beckles
An Email to A Counselor

One of our campers from the last session sent me this and it really touched me personally I wanted to share it with you because you always get the kind words.

Hey Paul

This Year I'm going out for Basketball at my school.   You showed me that I can do anything.

Thanks.

Teen Leader - Zachary Fligel
A Letter from A Leader in Training with Autism

Dear Mr. Fred,

I really enjoyed coming up to Dragonfly Forest . The subjects that I liked best were the ropes course and the arts and crafts with smaller kids. The ropes course was nice because it helped out with balance and team work. Balancing on the high and low beam also helped a lot of the kids to be challenged, and push themselves to do new things. Having the different sections of the ropes course was also nice. The other subject that I really enjoyed was helping the little kids with arts and crafts. Some of the kids were better behaved than the older ones. I thought it was nice for the little kids to make the different crafts like the card board swords, or whatever else they choose. Making up different super power moves for the mini movie theme, kind of like the X-Men movies, was cool.  The talent show was not my favorite part because I am not a big fan of music. But it was not too bad because most of the kids thought our performance was best.  I would like to say thank you for bringing me to the camp. The program you have in place is very well structured and is good for kids that have social problems. I will come back next year if it is possible.

Counselor - Jeff "Sweet Tooth" Dolan
Early Mornings

Being down at the waterfront every morning was such a great opportunity. It was incredible to see kids that have never been in a canoe gliding across the water with smiles set on their faces. Seeing the reactions from campers when they caught their first fish or even just watching me bait the hooks with worms really made the camp experience worthwhile for me. The campers were really excited to be there and you could tell, especially when they started singing camp songs!

Counselor - Mark Goldfarb
Why I Come to Camp

I come to camp because since I was about five I have spent some portion of my summer at camp, whether it was overnight or just a day camp.  For me camp has had a huge impact on who I am and I enjoy being able to participate in a program, which provides me the opportunity to give camp to children who might not otherwise get to experience such a wonderful environment.  I strongly believe that camp provides children the tools to grow as individuals and become independent, so that when situations arise in their lives they will have the necessary skills to deal with such events.  I feel very lucky to spend some of my summer working with children and providing them such an opportunity to have fun and learn many skills.

Counselor - Rachel Glickman
At the Ropes Course

A story that just makes me smile when I tell it was during the Autism week, and we were at the ropes course for the second time. Some background to the story was that my camper had trouble the first time we went to the ropes and did not go all the way up on the zip line.  He had picked the ropes as a free select and it was the last full day of camp for that week. His turn comes around and he is a little nervous, so I tell him, "he can do it and no matter what, I was proud of him for tying again."

He starts to climb up the tree and begins to feel a little scared, the funny thing is he is at the top of the tree and all he has to do it get up on the platform. So the person on the platform helps him up and then he gets all strapped in, and jumps off with a big yell. He comes racing back to other campers with, I kid you not, the biggest toothy grin I had ever seen. It made me super happy because he was so proud of himself so conquering his fear. :)

Counselor - Bristal McAlister
Battling Homesickness

The best part of camp for me was when we finally got our camper over the homesickness hump.  Kelly A. and I worked with him for many hours, to help him with tips and techniques to help him with his homesickness.  One of the most memorable times was when Kelly and I were at the wooden tree swing, and we knew he was over his homesickness, when all of our hard work paid off, we went from an extremely homesick child to a happy-go-lucky camper, that everyone seemed to enjoy being around.

Unit Leader - Steve Andelman
The Value of Camp

Counselor - Alyssa Polakowski
What Camp Means To Kids
 

The time I spent at Dragonfly Forest this summer has made me recognize just how much this camp means to the kids who have the opportunity to attend.  During Autism week, my camper was experiencing his first overnight camp.  At first I could tell he was anxious to be away from home, but at the same time, he was excited and eager to learn new things.  By the end of the first full day of camp my camper was totally comfortable with his fellow campers in the blue unit.  I attributed his new found comfort to the warm, caring and accepting environment that is offered by all of the counselors and staff at Dragonfly Forest.  Everything at Dragonfly is approached with a "can-do" attitude, which is extremely contagious among everyone at camp.  It is truly a safe haven for kids to enjoy who they really are, and to forget about all of the things that would normally hold them back from living an ordinary, everyday life.  

Two days before the last day of camp, it became apparent to me that Dragonfly Forest had become my camper's place to soar.  While walking back from the evening's activities, my camper asked "Can I stay here at camp Thursday after everyone leaves?" followed by a long monologue about how much fun he has had in just 4 short days.  These feelings were reinforced during the last night at camp again, when my camper changed the question to, "Can I stay here at camp forever?" I can still hear his voice asking these questions in my head and every time I replay it in my mind, I know that the best part about his questions is that he was asking out of complete seriousness.  An emotional departure proved once again how my camper's very first camp experience had impacted his life.  I am sure he's counting down the days until next summer when he'll be able to spend another week independent and free to discover new talents and abilities.  Dragonfly Forest is, without a doubt, the most amazing and irreplaceable experience for any kid to have, and I feel lucky to have been able to witness it firsthand. 

Director - Sylvia van Meerten
Building an Autism Program