Camp

We are running camp in August 2023. We are bringing sibling groups together for a week of FUN including Opening Campfire, Talent Show, Belated Birthday Celebration, swimming, boating, arts and crafts, archery, climbing walls, zip lining and more!

In the past, siblings have reported that this is the best week of their year, and evaluations conducted show that the time spent together has positive effects in terms of both their relationships with one another and their general emotional well-being.

Staffing: Our camp will be staffed with trained volunteers who will run activities and help facilitate sibling interactions throughout the week. We strive to maintain a 3:1 Camper to Volunteer Camp Counselor ratio. Our host camp will provide staff certified in lifeguarding, boating, and ropes courses.

Dates: August 13 – 18, 2023

Location: Smithfield, ME

Registration fees:  The DCF contract negotiated rate for youth in foster care is $587/child; there are financial aid packages available for adoptive families who are interested in sending their child(ren) to camp with additional siblings who do not reside together.

Questions? Contact Leslie Hopper at leslie@siblingconnections.org

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Camp impact on siblings’ wellbeing

97% of campers reported creating special memories with their siblings at camp
98% reported getting to spend quality time with their siblings
85% felt camp made their relationship with their sibling stronger
92% felt camp made them more hopeful about the future
98% think camp should be made available to more youth

Did you know:

One week at camp provides more sibling time together then a full year’s worth of state mandated visits.

Often times youth living in foster care have very few photos of their childhood.  At Camp each child creates a scrapbook filled with photos of them and their siblings taken throughout the week to keep as a take home memory of their time together.

One night during the week of camp, we host a camp wide birthday party where each sibling group exchanges presents and enjoys cake and ice cream to celebrate the birthdays that they may have missed during the year.

Many children in foster care feel a great sense of isolation and have reduced self-esteem. Camp works to create normalcy for the kids throughout the week by providing them with a place where they are surrounded by others who face similar experiences and understand them.

The DCF-paid registration fee provides about 50% of the actual cost of Camp. We  work hard all year to raise funding to cover the difference. We never turn away an interested sibling group because of funding. Our goal is for every sibling group possible to have the opportunity to experience Camp.