What started out as a dream and a vision for Mississippi’s toughest kids has now come to fruition. Camp Kamassa, located in Crystal Springs, is officially up and running to provide a fun-filled getaway for children with special needs.
Decades ago, Mary Kitchens, who started Camp Kamassa, noticed a glaring void in activities and recreational opportunities for children with special needs in Mississippi. So, she decided to step in to fill the gap. In 2008, Kitchens’ vision started to manifest into action as a 501(c)(3) was set up, and a board was formed to get the ball rolling on the camp.
In 2013, 326 acres of land in Copiah County were purchased, and a partnership with the military aided in constructing what is now known as Camp Kamassa. On April 5, the camp celebrated its grand opening, offering hope and healing to a community that had not had the privilege of enjoying recreational amenities offered to others in Mississippi up until now.
What makes Camp Kamassa so unique is that the entire campus was tailor-made to meet the specific requirements of young people with a variety of disabilities and special needs. Camp director Andrew Vincent, acknowledging that the traditional camp experience may not cater to youth with physical or mental impairments, assures that the Crystal Springs site was thoroughly designed for guests with just about any special need.
“This campus has been thought through. It’s consolidated. It’s flat. It has wide sidewalks,” Vincent continued. “The cabins have extra space inside of them just to be able to maneuver. All of the bathrooms are handicap accessible. Every facility we have is handicap accessible.”
Even campers with chronic illnesses will have their needs addressed at Camp Kamassa. According to Vincent, a state-of-the-art infirmary will be staffed with medical professionals trained to administer treatments to campers who are chronically ill.
“For our campers who live with a chronic illness, they will have the ability to have their treatments done at the camp and not have to go back to the children’s hospital or a clinic. With the medical teams that will be there with the campers, they can actually have dialysis done. They can have chemo treatments done right there at Camp Kamassa.”
Camp Kamassa will host its first wave of guests in mid-May. A schedule of events and additional information can be found here.