“Camp Rainbow” is a longstanding summer initiative of St. Edmond’s Home that provides activities, outdoor games, and special events tailored to the varied needs and abilities of its campers.
Located in Rosemont (Delaware County), this Catholic Social Services (CSS) ministry is an Intermediate Care Facility for children with severe and profound intellectual and physical disabilities. Loving and compassionate staff provide an exceptional range of services and quality care for medically fragile children and young adults ages 6 weeks to 21 years.
Since 1997, Camp Rainbow has offered full day programming Monday through Friday not only St. Edmond’s residents but also children from the local community with similar disabilities. At the start of camp, each camper, counselor, and staff member are assigned to a group. Each group has their own unique color and each participant receives a camp t-shirt in the color of their group.
This summer, approximately 50 campers spent 8 fun weeks participating in endless activities. They had the opportunity experience music therapy, pet therapy, crafts, gardening, cooking, barbecues, group contests, parades, sporting events, and therapeutic aquatics. In addition, groups from local organizations volunteered their time to entertain the campers with music, dancing, and much more. Camp Rainbow also featured multiple community outings such as Adventure Aquarium and Sesame Place.
One fun event that every camper, counselor, and staff member looks forward to each summer is the annual St. Edmond’s 4th of July Parade and Barbeque. Each camper, along with their wheelchairs, bikes, and other positioning equipment are decorated in patriotic colors before parading around St. Edmond’s campus while volunteers and community members cheer them on. That event concludes with a traditional community wide barbeque.
Another highlight of the summer is St. Edmond’s magical Snoezelen Room which offers tactile, visual, auditory and vestibular stimulation through a variety of therapeutic modalities. A Dutch concept, the multi-sensory environment provides relaxing spaces to help reduce stress and anxiety while also stimulating reactions and encouraging communication. Using lights, colors, bubble columns, and even a ball pit, the Snozelen room creates a soothing and stimulating atmosphere.
The value of Camp Rainbow is a broad one explains Linda Conn, Administrative Assistant at St. Edmond’s. “Camp offers a chance for the young people to get involved and learn more about persons with disabilities and to consider a career in Social or Human Services,” Conn explains. She describes the counselors as “young and energetic”, and are typically hired from local colleges and universities.
To close out the summer and to celebrate another successful year of camp, St. Edmond’s hosted it’s very popular “End-of-Summer Barbecue”. Campers enjoyed games, an ice cream truck, music, and dancing, while exchanging bittersweet goodbyes.
To learn more about St. Edmond’s home for children, check out their website here.
