Since 2009, Jett Foundation’s Camp Promise has visited many locations throughout the country to host accessible, overnight camp experiences for individuals living with neuromuscular disorders. Our location in Mount Vernon, WA (aka Camp Promise – West), was the first stop we ever made. To this day, we continue to see both returning and new faces during our experience in Washington State, creating a magical blend of Camp Promise family members.
This year, 22 campers and 31 counselors stayed with us from June 9-14 to create everlasting memories.
Day one of each camp is traditionally Cabin Color Day, allowing our crew of counselors and campers to showcase cabin color pride and decorate campus with Camp Promise creativity.
Camp Promise – West participants also saw a Decades of Tie Dye day, a visit to Hogwarts, Grunge Day, and Camp T-Shirt Day. All theme days bleed into campers’ favorite activities, including swimming in the campground pool, archery practice, races with camper-made toy boats, casino night, campfires, and so much more.
Our camp mascot, Pigasus, also makes its way to each of our locations in many forms. In Washington, Pigasus showed up as a stuffed animal, a plastic “prank bank,” and Pigasus lived on the walls of our cabins as posters and flags.
Jett Foundation’s Camp Promise Operations Director, Niki Benfield, shares: “I will never not have a blast dressing up for campers on theme days and guiding them through many “firsts” or favorite activities. Our time at each location tends to go way faster than we’d like, but we always leave with lasting memories and many laughs. Thank you to all campers, counselors, and families who engaged with us at West this year!”
Camp Promise Program Director, Meghan Houston, adds: “We craft our camp locations and activities so campers can forget about the challenges and barriers they face in the world each day. Accessible facilities, pool ramps/chairs, automatic doors, and so much more go a long way toward creating a magical experience for campers. I am lucky to have helped create these experiences for over 15 years and can’t wait for more ahead!”
Throughout the summer of 2024, Camp Promise will make stops in Ohio, Arizona, Colorado, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and California. To learn more about Camp Promise, or to learn about volunteer opportunities, please visit www.camppromise.org.
Thank you to our 2024 Camp Promise sponsors who make these experiences possible: Cure Dale’s Duchenne, the Flatley Foundation, Sarepta Therapeutics, Alexion Charitable Foundation, Dyne Therapeutics, and ITF Therapeutics.
