The inspiration and shining light behind, "The Sunshine Project", is the beautiful boy pictured above, Hudson. Our team members, Erika Enoch and Meagan Lawson, first met when Hudson started school. Erika - Hudson's dedicated mother, and Meagan - his new special education teacher. Hudson has autism which significantly impacts his communication and social skills. Together, Erika and Meagan worked hard to create a school environment that made Hudson feel safe and accepted.
As a mother of an autistic child, Erika quickly realized the drastic difference between the amount of support and opportunities that were provided by our educational system for children during the school year verses those provided during the summer months. She found an extreme lack of recreational and enrichment programs offered during the summer months for her son Hudson - and all children with special needs - to participate in.
While every other child in the area had the opportunity to enroll in communal enrichment programs of arts, sports, music, and other recreational activities, Hudson - as well as the other children in our Walworth County community with special needs - were left with no options in sight. Erika spent weeks calling different camps, organizations, and was continually denied summer options for Hudson. It was soon after she knew something had to change.
The drive behind "The Sunshine Project" is to provide enrichment programs and opportunities not only for Hudson, but for all elementary children with disabilities in our Walworth County community. We believe that all children deserve the chance to have a summer full of fun memories, friendships, and exciting new experiences. Together, our hope is that our little sunshine, Hudson, can help us make a meaningful change in our community and beyond.
Our high-quality camp will foster friendship, hope, and life-changing bonds for children with disabilities and their families alike. This opportunity will provide families with well deserved respite while their children enjoy days filled with fun, friendship and exploration that will benefit them, their families, our community, and the world around them.
Our vision is to provide a meaningful setting in our community that embraces the sunshine that every child has to offer. We will provide children with disabilities and their families with an atmosphere of safety and acceptance.
We are thrilled to announce that we will be hosting our summer camp in the newly renovated children's center at Calvary Community Church in Lake Geneva, WI. We are so excited and grateful for the generosity of their leadership to open up their amazing facility for us to utilize this summer!
Calvary Community Church
N2620 Harris Road
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
A day in the life of a camper will be filled with opportunities to learn, grow, explore but (most importantly) have fun! We will provide many sensory friendly daily activities including art and music exploration, chances for children to explore getting their hands dirty with a variety of materials, opportunities for children to move their bodies, outdoor experiences, swimming, and much more. In our daily schedule below you will see that it is separated into stations. We will have a music station, an art station, and an outdoors or active station. Each activity or station will also be structured around increasing communication and social/emotional opportunities for our campers. Within our calendar you will see that we will bring community members to our camp for additional learning experiences as well as be going out into the community for some unique local activities. Each week of camp will introduce new themes that will spark the curiosity and excitement of campers.
We are thrilled to announce we will be hosting our camp in the newly renovated children's center at Calvary Community Church in Lake Geneva, WI.
Calvary Community Church
N2620 Harris Road
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
Would you like to join our project? What's a product or service you'd like to show?
In order to provide the best experience for our campers, we are looking for dedicated individuals to join us. We are in need of teachers, speech and language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, nurses, and lifeguards. Along with these staff members, we are looking for individuals with special interests including art, music, and physical activity that can help us plan and implement special programs at our camp.
Do you have any other special talents? Please reach out to us to see if we can add your ideas into our camp schedule!
launch dates & daily schedule
The Sunshine Project: Summer Camp 2023
June 12th, 2023 - August 11th, 2023
(8 Weeks of Camp)
Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00AM - 2:00PM
Ages: 4-11
9:00-9:15- Arrival
9:15-10:00- Station 1 (ex. Art/ Sensory Exploration)
10:00-10:45- Station 2 (ex. Outdoor fun)
10:45-11:30- Station 3 (ex. Music and Movement)
11:30-12:00 Lunch
12:00-1:00 Swimming
1:00-1:45 Thematic fun
1:45-2:00- Dismissal
Session A: (Weeks 1-3)
June 12th-16th, June 19th-23rd, June 26th-30th
Session Enrollment: $1,350
Session B: (Weeks 4 & 5)
July 10th-14th and July 17th-21st
Session Enrollment: $900
Session C: (Weeks 6-8)
July 24th-28th, July 31st-Aug. 4th, Aug. 7th - 11th
Session Enrollment: $1,350
Summer Session: (Weeks 1-8)
June 12th-16th, June 19th-23rd, June 26th-30th,
July 10th-14th and July 17th-21st, July 24th-28th, July 31st-Aug. 4th, Aug. 7th - 11th
Session Enrollment: $3,500
Financial assistance is available through CLTS - find out more information below.
Financial assistance is provided for families within Walworth County that are already registered within the CLTS system. To find out more about CLTS and to see if you qualify for camp coverage, please contact your local representative or use the link below.
If you are needing to set up a financial plan to pay for the cost of summer camp, please email Kelly Gerlitz to using the button below to discuss.
Please use the link below to complete our online registration form and bring the additional form attached below on the first day of camp. If you are depending on CLTS for financial assistance or full coverage, please do not complete the register form until our organization has received an approval form from CLTS officials. Thank you!
Are you passionate about The Sunshine Project and want to join our leadership team or volunteer? Get connected to a leadership team where you can use your gifts and help make our program come to life!
Click the link below to learn more about the current job openings for our camp this summer!
Help us launch this incredible summer camp program for children with special needs in our Walworth County community. Your contributions make a difference and are such a blessing to the development of this amazing program. We are forever grateful for your continued support!
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