Shady Oaks Camp Testimonials

Growing up in Homer Glen, I lived right down the street from Shady Oaks Camp. I knew that it was a camp for people with disabilities, but that was about all I knew. Fast forward many, many years, and our family found ourselves learning all about Shady Oaks Camp and realizing it was going to change our family’s life forever. Our daughter, Selena, was born with frontal lobe brain damage and has an intellectual disability. She also has severe epilepsy and is non-verbal. Selena loves her friends and family and loves to be silly and laugh and enjoys playing sports like baseball and basketball and swimming. But as she got older, it was harder for her to play sports and spend time with friends because of her seizures. It was also harder for us to care for her. In 2024, at the urging of a friend, we finally decided to check out Shady Oaks. Selena’s friend had been coming for several years, and he always had the best time. But it is scary thinking about sending your special needs child somewhere without you for any period of time. Especially since Selena is extremely attached to us. But we took the leap and we are so glad we did. Selena spent 4 weeks at Shady Oaks her first summer. And it was the best time of her life. She got to do all the fun camp stuff and made so many friends. When we dropped her off, the counselors made us all feel at home. The medical staff assured us she was safe. The camp director stayed connected with us the first few days until we were comfortable. Selena would call us each night and tell us how much fun she was having. When we went for open house, she was radiating! I cannot remember the last time I saw her laugh and smile so much. It was the best feeling ever knowing she was so happy and was having so much fun. As a parent, all you want is for your child to thrive and enjoy life. Shady Oaks Camp gave that to Selena and that means the world to us. But Selena was not the only one who thrived during camp time. Selena has 2 younger siblings, who are amazing with her and love her. With Selena at camp, we were able to spend some much-needed time with them, doing things that they have been asking to do, but we couldn’t because Selena was unable. Without camp, they would not have been able to experience those things. Camp has allowed our family to recharge and reset and breathe. We had a break from seizures, appointments, and regular life, while Selena was able to enjoy her new friends and the things she loves most. Shady Oaks is an amazing place!!!!