The Lowcountry Down Syndrome Society (LDSS) will be hosting its 14th annual Camp Buddy summer camp for Effingham County on June 25-29 at the Blandford Elementary School and local places in Rincon for community-based learning opportunities. 

Camp Buddy is for children of all ages with Down syndrome and is designed to help students retain previous accomplishments and prepare for the upcoming school year with a specially designed curriculum by special education teachers and therapists.

Elementary school children will attend the morning session where they will stay at the facility and engage in one-on-one occupational, physical and speech therapy. Campers will also enjoy games, arts and crafts with educational components.

Middle school children will also receive therapies as they work on several projects including preparing bags for Backpack Buddies, teacher appreciation bags, and experiencing opportunities that will help them advance in challenging academic areas. 

High schoolers will attend the later afternoon session and will engage in various activities such as volunteering at local food and clothing pantries and going on a shopping trip to the grocery store where they will work on budgeting and healthy meal planning. During the camp session, they will have an opportunity to learn occupational and life skills in the kitchen as well as preparing several meals. An overnight stay will assist with learning valuable skills that will promote living independently. Extra fun physical activities in the community will be enjoyed by this group also.

“Our 14th annual Camp Buddy is here! It provides a great opportunity for awesome, differently-abled individuals who have Down syndrome or a similar chromosomal abnormality to receive needed physical, occupational and speech therapies as well as enhance and retain gains made throughout the school year by working individually with each camper to retain what was learned and address specific academic challenges to ready them for the upcoming school year” said Camp Buddy director, Molly Marchese.

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

To register for the Effingham County Camp Buddy, contact Molly Marchese at [email protected] or 912-213-9127.