The Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society (LDSS) will be hosting their 13th annual Camp Buddy summer camp for Chatham County on July 11-15 at St. Andrews School, located at 601 Penn Waller Rd, on Wilmington Island.

Camp Buddy is for children of all ages with Down syndrome and is designed to help students prepare for the upcoming school year with a specially designed curriculum.

Elementary school children will attend the morning session where they will stay at the facility and engage in occupational therapy. A physical therapist will be on site and campers will enjoy games, snacks, and arts and crafts.

Older children will attend the afternoon session and enjoy a shopping trip to a grocery store. During the camp session, they will have an opportunity to learn occupational skills in the kitchen, like opening cans or cooking pasta, as well as preparing a lasagna to take home with them. They will also take part in a scavenger hunt at Walmart where they will learn how to cut coupons and find various items.

Some children will also work one-on-one with a physical therapist.

For over 13 years, the Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society has been helping students with Down syndrome enjoy summer fun at Camp Buddy with a customized curriculum designed by special education, occupational, physical, and speech therapists that helps the students retain the information they learned during the previous school year and preparing for the upcoming school year.

Throughout the camp session, occupational, physical, and speech therapy are cleverly disguised as games, and campers participate in activities that promote health and wellness as well as the importance of giving back to the community.

Camp Buddy is sponsored by the Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society and is made possible through the generosity of the community, friends and families of LDSS and events such as the Buddy Walk and Night of Champions. Camp Buddy for Effingham county was held in June. For more information about LDSS, visit http://www.ldssga.org/