A New Chapter Begins: Camp Blue Skies Expands Into South Carolina

This spring marked a major milestone for Camp Blue Skies as we officially launched our new South Carolina camp sessions at Camp Cole. The launch represents the culmination of years of planning, relationship-building, and outreach to expand opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the Southeast.

Our inaugural week-long South Carolina session welcomed 48 campers, including six first-time campers and five campers from our good friends at Pockets Full of Sunshine in Hilton Head, SC. Just a few days later, our Weekend Camp session welcomed another 38 campers, including 18 first-time campers and six campers connected through Pockets Full of Sunshine. Both sessions reached our planned capacity for our new location and maintained waitlists, an early sign of the strong demand for Camp Blue Skies programming in South Carolina.

Behind the scenes, the launch required significant coordination across camper recruitment, volunteer development, donor outreach, logistics, health services, programming, and safety planning. The result was a smooth and successful opening with growth in volunteer engagement. Across both sessions, Camp Blue Skies welcomed 66 total volunteers and nearly 40 new volunteers, including students from the University of South Carolina, volunteers connected through Pockets Full of Sunshine, friends from Coke Consolidated, and many new volunteers recruited through community outreach efforts and local partnerships.

While adapting to a new camp environment, the Camp Blue Skies team worked intentionally to preserve the traditions and experiences that define camp for so many campers and caregivers. Campers enjoyed s’mores, karaoke, the dance, bingo, arts and crafts, “Balance Your Body,” free-choice programming, and drumming sessions led by Scott Middleton from The Rhythmic Arts Project, whose energy and talent is always a camper favorite.

The new site also created opportunities to expand programming in creative ways while maintaining the relationship-focused culture that makes Camp Blue Skies unique. Staff worked intentionally to ensure that even in a new location, campers still experienced the familiarity, connection, encouragement, and joy that families have come to expect. Most importantly, the launch reinforced something Camp Blue Skies has believed for years: the need for these opportunities continues to grow. The excitement from campers, caregivers, volunteers, and community partners throughout South Carolina has created tremendous momentum for the future.