What our clients say about Friendship Ventures

Notes from campers

Dear Camp Friendship,

Thank you for letting me to your Camp Friendship.  Thank you for the scholarship for me.  Well next year I want to go again but I want my best friend to go to Camp Friendship with me.  Well I had so much fun at your camp that I would love to see my best friend to have a scholarship to go to Camp Friendship.  Well please tell everyone at the Camp Friendship that I will go again and bring my best friend to come along.  Well I am sorry about the winter time but I will go in the summer time because I do not like to be cold in the winter time and I never hear a camp in the winter time but maybe sometime I might go in the winter time.  Well thanks again for giving me a scholarship to let me go to the Camp Friendship.  I know all the dance moves that you did at camp I know how to bake things.  Well I am happy that I got to go to your camp.  Well tell to you later and hope to see you next year.

Your Friend,  Amanda

Dear Friend,

I have fun at camp.  I went fishing at camp and I danced and sang.  I went swimming.  I like fun at camp much.

From Cassidy

Letters from families and other caregivers

Hello!!

Our son just completed his first camping experience away from home!!!  This was his first non-family overnight experience and his first week-long camping adventure of this kind.  He had an absolute BLAST and loved every bit of camp!  Thank you so much for your dedication and commitment to assuring our son could partake in this awesome camp!  We’ll be back next year for sure!!!  **We’re even going to try and do a day camp this year in August.

Here’s a picture I snapped before we left.  This crew is top-notch – Max adores them!

Thank you again.

Most sincerely,

Andrea & Greg Theis

Hi! My name is Bonnie and I was lucky enough to go with my client as a PCA to Camp Friendship for one whole week last summer. (July)  I have worked in this field for many years and I have never been so impressed with any program! I cannot think of one thing that we did not enjoy. This has been a lifelong memory in this child's head that she will never forget. I have no doubt about this. Every week when I pick her up, all she talks about is Camp Friendship and all the experiences that she had. The biggest highlight was that rooster that woke us up every morning! Staff said that she was better than the rooster at her cock-a-doodle-doo! The rooster would go and then Lauren would answer back. Then the rooster would talk back to her. I would scurry her in our pajamas to the Canteen so she wouldn't wake up the campus! We had so many laughs and she remembers every single one of them!

The counselors were WONDERFUL and I never saw them not giving 200%! She had Ali and 2 other leaders. Lauren's family would like to send her to camp twice this year and I can't wait! You have truely made a difference in this child's life!

Thank you for all that you do!

Bonnie

Jason -

Thank you so much for this terrific picture!  Elliott was so happy to see it, and had a huge smile on his face. 

Once again, the boys had an absolutely amazing experience at camp!  There is no way to adequately thank you for all you and the entire team does, but we are incredibly thankful that the boys have been able to have this adventure. 

The day after we arrived home, we had a voice mail from Max.  As it turns out, Max and Elliott exchanged phone numbers, and as both of them are able to memorize numbers quite well, they knew how to reach one another.  Elliott called him right back, and since then, they talk 3-4 times per week.  During one of their chats, I was able to chat with Max's Mom - Martha, and shared with her how excited we are that the boys had started a friendship.  As I grew up not far from New Ulm, I asked if we could get the boys together sometime, and she would love to try.  Even better, as it happens, she has a friend that helps out doing PCA care for Max one weekend per month, and happens to live in Eagan!  We are now planning on having Max over the next time he is in town.

This is such a wonderful experience for Elliott in every way.  As we've shared with you, Elliott has made incredible gains since his diagnosis at age 2, but social skills/conversations/social reciprocity have prevented him from forming "true" friendships.  He works so hard, and wants with all his heart to have friends, but this has not been as easy concept for him to grasp.  We can't tell you what an amazing thing it is to witness this "connection" between Elliott & Max - they really like one another just the way they are, and want to get to know one another.  This is something we've always hoped for for Elliott, and to see it happen for him in such a genuine way is beyond anything we could have hoped for.  Your guidance, leadership & mentoring have made this all possible, and we thank you for everything you've done! 

Not to mention that we are just blown away by the amazing 8th birthday Henry was able to have!  He will remember that very special birthday forever, and tells anyone and everyone how fabulous his party was.  You and the whole Camp Friendship team need a huge thank-you for all you did - you all have such big hearts, and made Henry truly feel like a "King" for a day! 

Just like last year, the boys are getting along terrifically, and communicating even better since their week at camp.  What's different this year is that because they each had some different experiences and activities at camp - they are able to talk with one another about what they each did at camp.  Separating the boys was the best decision you could have made, and because of it, they were both able to grow and learn in new ways. 

We are deeply thankful to everyone from Camp Adventure/Friendship Ventures for all you do.  While I'm certain there are days your jobs are stressful, or things just don't go as you'd wish, but please know that what you do is changing lives and giving families hope that anything is possible!  We will continue to share our experiences with everyone we know! 

Regards,

Kammy & family

And from those who received scholarship assistance

Dear Friend,

We feel abundantly blessed to have benefitted from your generous gift to the Friendship Ventures Scholarship Fund.  Without that wonderful gift, Gary would not have been able to attend Camp friendship.

Gary said he loved all the staff who were generous with their time and him wheelchair bound.  The arts and crafts were so nice to do and forget about back home.  His fishing he said reminded him of when Mom and Dad were alive and they went to Uncle’s cabin.  He said he caught 3 small fish and a sun tan!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to get Gary with new friends and different peers.

Most of all, thank you for your thoughtfulness.

Sincerely with camping in mind and the hayride of many (to come),

Gary’s sister – Ann Marie

Dear friend,

We have been so blessed this year to have benefitted from your gift to the Friendship Ventures Scholarship fund. Without the gift, two of our clients would not have been able to attend Camp New Hope. Our agency works with individuals with disabilities, many of which have limited funds to attend activities of this kind. Your donation was able to assist them in paying for their week visit to camp.

Our clients have enjoyed attending Camp New Hope each year. They are able to participate in outdoor activities such as swimming and boating and indoor activities such as arts and crafts. The week they experience at camp helps build friendships with others including others who also have disabilities. For some clients, it gives them some independence during their week away. Each year the client sends a letter, note, or picture home one day telling us about their experience and how things are going.

Camp New Hope and Friendship Ventures has been a great organization to work with. Our clients look forward to it each year. I hope you will be able to continue to help the organization and see that what you are giving to them also helps us and our clients to enjoy this weeklong experience.

Sincerely,

Leanne

Dear Friend,

We have benefitted from your gift to Friendship Ventures Scholarship Fund.  Because we receive no supplemental county funds (we are at the bottom of a very long list of waiters) we are very grateful to receive a partial scholarship for our camper who is in the several end of the autism spectrum.  It is a huge break for our family, and a safe and fun environment for my son.  I am very impressed by the dedication of the staff!  There is simply nothing like it out there!  I hope you will consider making a gift again this year.

Sincerely yours,

Tim

Dear friend,

We are so blessed to have your gift to the Friendship Ventures scholarship fund.  Without the gift, Carol would not have been able to attend Camp Friendship.  Carol doesn’t have a large income or the opportunities to experience the things she did at camp.

Carol really enjoyed all of the activities at camp.  Swimming was her favorite, she got to put on her new suit and go in the pool.  She is forever talking about how cold it was at first, but she still loved the exercise it gave her.  She talks about the many new people that she met, even the ones from England.  She went to the zoo, Dairy queen, and to a farm and on the hayrides.  She did so many things and had such a wonderful experience.  You were a big part of that too. 

Thank you to all of your staff and volunteers that took the extra time and made this happen for someone like Carol.  She has made plans to go back next year and wants to try out the water slide.  She tells all her family how much fun that she had at camp and they really are glad to hear that there is something available to individuals like her to have a good time without all the realities of life.

We plan to use the scholarship funds again next year to give Carol the chance to experience the things she didn’t get to experience last year.  Also the opportunity to try new things she has not done yet.  Thank you very much for all you do and you make a difference in each individual’s lives.  They just light up when they talk about camp and how much fun they had.

Sincerely,

Sarah