Camp University

In 2007, C.A.M.P. University was founded as a non-profit day habilitation that would provide opportunities to special needs students who wanted to continue learning about the world around them, build skills in their fields of interest, stay active in Special Olympics, continue developing their life and social skills, and give back to their community by participating in philanthropic endeavors around the area. C.A.M.P. stands for Can Achieve Maximum Potential and that is exactly what the goal is for each of the young adults that participates in the program.

Every experience is an opportunity for the CAMPers to learn and to actively participate in the world around them. The mission of C.A.M.P. University is to “provide opportunities to continue developing life and social skills after high school for special needs young adults and provides a respite for their families.” For the last 7 years, C.A.M.P. has been doing just that because of people just like you.

To accommodate the schedules and budgets of each client, we offer three program options: two days, three days, and five days per week. Activities and lessons include arts and crafts, science, history, zumba, math, theatre, gardening, reading and writing, skills training, and more. CAMPers also gain knowledge and experience through various outings and field trips. Starting in January 2019 C.A.M.P. University also began offering Music Therapy and Speech Therapy. Our dedicated staff are always innovating and creating ways to help CAMPers reach their goals.

All staff hold bachelor’s degrees in various fields including education, rehabilitative services, and theatre. All staff have previous experience working with special needs individuals. The ratio of clients to staff is 6:1.

Volunteers and interns are comprised of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s rehabilitative services students and South Texas College’s occupational therapy assistant students.

Therapy sessions are conducted by therapists from RGV Music Therapy and Beyond Expectations Speech Therapy.

We have seen young people with limited or no vocal capabilities learn to not only have conversations but initiate them. Shy CAMPers learn to be more outgoing. Students who have enrolled having had behavioral issues in school have become relaxed and learn to cope with every day stresses that lead to melt downs. CAMPers get to experience the world in ways they never dreamed possible. We have been helping families from all over the Rio Grande Valley for over 10 years and have operated as a stepping stone for hundreds of students. We never graduate or age out clients. They are welcome to use our services as long as they find them beneficial.

Our long-term goal is to provide a residential program to our community. But for now our goal is to continue growing our services and continue growing the number of participants.