Tucked back in the woods along the St. Johns River is an old campground that looks a lot like every other summer camp you’ve ever seen—cabins with bunk beds, an industrial kitchen, swimming pool, old basketball courts and a fishing pier. But at this hidden gem of a summer spot, joy and inclusivity reign. Called Camp I Am Special, it’s reached via a long, winding road lined with Spanish moss-draped live oaks that give it an air of Southern grandeur. Now in its 44^th year, the program of Catholic Charities Jacksonville more than lives up to its name.

This summer, the camp hosted over 200 children, youth and adults with a variety of intellectual and developmental differences (IDDs) and disabilities. For some, it was the first time; others were repeat visitors. Over six, week-long sessions, a rotating case of campers, trained volunteer high school “buddies” and more seasoned staff members, including nursing staff, played, danced, swam, sang, fished, colored, swung on swings and slept in cabins—in other words, had a real camp experience, just like anybody else might have.

“A lot of campers don’t have space for themselves,” said program manager Isaiah Maass. Their lives are often constrained by their differences, by therapy appointments and restrictions on what they can do or try to do and where they can go and how they can be. “We give them an opportunity to choose. Here, it’s not about social skills or work programs.”

At Camp I Am Special, no one judges, and everyone gets to be their most authentic self. Young or old, nonverbal or hyperverbal, able-bodied or in a wheelchair (“autobot” in camp parlance), campers rule the day and staff follow their lead. It’s a magical place where young people model friendship and love, patience is never in short supply and wonder is encouraged and rewarded.

Many of the buddies and staff come every summer, throughout high school and into college. Some come from a long line of volunteers, with siblings, parents, aunts and uncles who have also worked at the camp. Others have brothers and sisters who attend as participants.

The camp, which is accredited by the American Camp Association, benefits not just those who are physically present but their families, who are often the primary caregivers. For them, the camp is a week of respite from their responsibilities. This summer, there were more than 100 names on the waiting list.

Each night, buddies and staff add to “affirmation bags,” in which they recount, in loving detail, the experiences of the day for each camper so their families will know what they’ve been doing over the week.

They do this after campers have gone to sleep as part of their evening responsibilities, which include cleaning the camp’s public spaces, kitchen and bathrooms. They also spend time as a group in reflection about how the day went, its successes and challenges. It makes for long days, but nobody complains.

All the food consumed over the summer is donated. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are prepared and served by volunteers, often local families as well as church groups and others. For many, it’s an annual ritual.

Each buddy must always be within arm’s length of their camper, for safety. The pairs stay in traditional cabins, in bunk beds decorated by the buddies before the first day of each session.

Pool time is a highlight for campers and a break from the brutal Florida heat, although frequent summer storms can send everyone scrambling for cover. On a good day, the campers get in the water in the morning and again in the afternoon.

During storms, campers gather in the all-purpose room/dining hall to do just whatever they like, which might be karaoke, an impromptu costume box fashion show, coloring or watching an animated film.

Campers rolled or walked down the long pier to try their luck at fishing at twilight. Everyone caught something, but only the bravest (or most foolhardy) engaged in the tradition of kissing the fish once it made its way onto the dock.

Participants will head home when the week is over, and staff will greet another group, including some familiar faces and many new ones. The summer ritual will continue. And everyone who was welcomed to Camp I Am Special will leave feeling that, for this one week, they were just another camper out in the woods, dancing at the bubble disco and shaking off the heat of the day to head to the pool.