Summer Camp Program
The summer camp program is a six-day, five-night camp experience supervised by board members, Camp Twin Lakes staff and volunteer counselors. The campers' days are filled with fun and meaningful activities, giving siblings the opportunity to experience new things together, such as canoeing, swimming and wall climbing.
Each afternoon the children participate in our signature program activities, while nights are filled with activities for the entire camp, including motivational speakers, games, parties and of course campfires!
The programs below are held at our annual summer camp, and elements of these programs are also included in our year-round Family Connection Events.
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Our 2024 Summer Camp will be held from Sunday, July 7th to Friday, July 12th at Camp Twin Lakes. Full week volunteers will be required to show up Saturday, July 6th.
Siblings Give Back
The Siblings Give Back program is designed to provide our campers with an opportunity to give their time and talents to an excellent cause. Each year at summer camp, there will be a different project that the entire camp group will work on to present to its receivers, chosen by the Summer Camp Programming Committee. We spend the entire week having fun and pouring into our campers by meeting the needs of sibling bonds. We also want to encourage them to give back and express their own unique talents through this program.
Gifts from the Heart
This event has aided hundreds of siblings to express themselves in a unique and positive format. This arts and crafts program helps brothers and sisters to reflect and show their innermost feelings toward their siblings. Siblings will design and create a special piece of art to gift to one of their siblings. The type of gift will grow with each year that a sibling group returns to camp so they are not receiving the same things each year.
Memory Books
Each camper is provided a memory book, materials and printed photos of their week at camp allowing them to create a visual representation of their experiences and memories and use this take-home keepsake as a place to write messages to one another and personal reflections on the week. For many, this memory book will contain the only pictures they have from their childhood.
Party Night
One evening is dedicated to a camp-wide birthday party where sibling groups celebrate with individual family birthday cakes and gift exchanges. The party serves to make up for missed opportunities to celebrate important life occasions together. Siblings choose gifts for one another from donated and/or pre-purchased gifts, wrap them, and create birthday cards for their brother or sister.
Color Wars
Each year at summer camp, campers and volunteers get to put on their competitive spirits for a morning & afternoon of fun, friendly competition. As campers are divided into “Family Groups” known by their color (i.e. blue, green, etc.), each group decks themselves out in their color with face paint, ribbon, and more and participates in “field-day” type games. Scores are recorded as the groups move throughout the lineup of fun, and a winner is announced later that day. The campers look forward to this activity as it provides an opportunity for bonding and uniting together with their siblings to compete.
Who is Eligible to Attend?
Youth in foster care, youth who are post-adoption, and youth experiencing any other out of home care that are ages 8 to 18 and currently separated from one or more of their siblings can attend our 2024 overnight Summer Camp, with younger children attending our day and weekend events. Youth in foster care can be registered by anyone with information on the child (foster parent, CASA, case worker). The forms must be electronically signed by the DFCS case manager as legal guardian. Once an application has been completed by another party, an email will be sent to the DFCS case manager to review and sign the application.
Children who are in adoptive care can be registered by their adoptive parents. A separate application must be completed for each child in the sibling group. Children MUST attend summer camp with a separated sibling to be able to attend. There are limited spots for each event, and applications are processed when all sibling applications are completed.
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Applications are now available! If you have any questions as you are filling out the application, you can contact Kasey Jordan at connect@siblingsforever.org or 770-296-5070.
In addition to Summer Camp, we will also hold Family Connection Day Events and Holiday Family Weekend Camp. If you are interested in signing up a child for those events, please visit our Family Connection Events page for more details on these other events and to access that application. ​THE SUMMER CAMP APPLICATION CANNOT BE USED TO APPLY FOR FAMILY CONNECTIONS!!