Camp Akeela

"i spent six of the best summers in my childhood. reallly mamazing people from the staff to the counselors to campers. i made lifelong friends here and it is a place that has a special place in my heart. from the bottom of my heart by far this is the best summer camp on the planet"

"I first came to camp akeela when I was 9 years old. I just finished my last summer there this past weekend. I'm 16 now. I can truly say, this is the best place I have ever been in my life. I started off as a 9 year old who was constantly bullied at school, no one wanted to be around her, no one talked to her during the classes, no one sat with her at lunch, no one wanted to talk to her after-school. Camp Akeela is the place wherever I learned all of my social skills. Growing up with ASD, school was always such a tough challenge. After every hard day, knowing that I would be going back to camp the next upcoming summer was all I needed to get me through all of those tough times. At Camp Akeela, all campers are treated equally, everyone is given a second chance, counselors are always interested to talk about your interests (even if they're random), and bonding with other campers feels like you finally has someone in the world who cares about you. I have spent 168 days at aleena over the past 8 years. I am so thankful for each and every one of those days that I experienced. This has been the most life-changing place, and I have to thank it because if I never went there, I wouldn't still be here today. To parents of children on the autism spectrum: send your kids to camp akeela, it is one of the best things you can do for them. "

"We had a great experience with Camp Akeela. It was super well organized, friendly and welcoming. The kids are smart, interesting, and kind. It's a wonderful opportunity for a fun-by-the-lake camp vacation for kids who normally would hesitate to jump right into one of those!"

"Our daughter, who has autism, had such a wonderful and transformative experience in her first session at Akeela (and first time away from home after a long pandemic), that we chose to send her for the second session as well. I can't say enough about this wonderful camp. Debbie and Eric are highly experienced and wonderful and what they do -- and provide a supportive and fun environment for kids like ours to grow -- and have an incredible time, experiencing the wonders of camp without some of the stress that might be present in a typical mainstream camp. Her counselors were absolutely amazing, and she cannot wait to go to back to camp. Perhaps the best thing I can say -- is that our daughter was able to make real friendships for the first time -- this school year, which we believe was a direct result of her experience at Akeela. If you have a child that may be a fit for Akeela, I can't recommend the camp highly enough. I wish all kids (like ours) could have this experience."

"For us, Camp Akeela was very literally life changing. After googling "quirky kids camp," we attended the first family camp, to check out whether this might be a good fit for our son, who was then in 5th grade and struggling. We found a warm, accepting, and incredibly intentional place where every child was valued. The next year, our son went off for his first year of "regular camp," and it was the highlight of his year until he aged out. He made lasting friends, tried out new activities, matured beautifully, and most importantly, felt cherished by the Akeela community. We received weekly calls from his head counselor letting us know how he was doing. We arranged our family life around family camp until we aged out, and the community of friends we made there are amongst our dearest and closest friends. We all get the unique challenges, and have had the opportunity to support each other through joys, sorrows, and just everyday life. We are still grateful daily to Debbie and Eric for having this idea and making it happen!"