Clarkston SCAMP Creates Five Weeks of Friendship, Adventure, and Belonging for Individuals with Special Needs

Thanks to an $11,048 grant from Eagles for Children, Clarkston SCAMP was able to provide individuals with special needs the opportunity to experience five weeks of friendship, adventure, independence, and fun during the 2026 summer camp season.

For more than five decades, Clarkston SCAMP has been creating an inclusive summer camp experience for children and adults with special needs throughout Northern Oakland County. The program provides a safe and welcoming environment where SCAMPers can build confidence, develop new skills, form meaningful friendships, and experience the simple joy of being part of a community.

During the summer of 2026, 176 SCAMPers participated in five weeks filled with adaptive recreation, community field trips, swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, talent shows, petting zoos, glow parties, and countless opportunities to laugh, learn, and grow alongside their friends.

Every activity is designed to create opportunities for SCAMPers to try something new, develop greater independence, and experience adventures alongside peers in an environment built around acceptance and inclusion.

For families, the impact of SCAMP extends beyond the camp experience itself. The actual cost of providing the full SCAMP experience is approximately $2,500 per camper, but families are asked to pay only a portion of that cost. More than 45% of SCAMP families rely on financial assistance to make camp possible.

Thanks to the generosity of community partners like Eagles for Children, SCAMP has maintained an important promise for more than 50 years: no SCAMPer is turned away because their family is unable to pay.

That commitment ensures that financial circumstances do not stand between individuals with special needs and the opportunity to experience summer camp. For SCAMPers, that means access to friendships, new experiences, confidence-building activities, and memories that can last a lifetime.

The 2026 summer season was especially meaningful as SCAMP began the next chapter following its 50th Anniversary celebration in 2025. Since its founding in 1975, the organization has remained committed to creating opportunities for individuals with special needs and building a more inclusive community throughout Northern Oakland County.

The impact of that mission reaches far beyond five weeks of summer. By creating spaces where SCAMPers can feel accepted, included, and encouraged to try new things, SCAMP helps individuals build confidence and independence while giving families a community where they know their loved ones belong.

Eagles for Children’s continued support helps make this experience accessible to families across the community. Together, we are opening doors to friendship, adventure, confidence, and belonging. Plus creating memories that last long after summer ends … for the kids!