Camp Sweeney is an American summer camp located near Gainesville, Texas. It is primarily for children with type 1 diabetes and their siblings, and has been in operation since the summer of 1950. The camp was founded by Dr. J. Shirley Sweeney, a Dallas endocrinologist who envisioned a positive program to encourage diabetic children.
Today, the camp offers activities typical of a summer sports camp, including swimming, hiking, archery, basketball, volleyball, waterpark, flag football and arts and crafts. Its many facilities and day to day activities are designed with the diabetic child in mind. It is one of the few camps in the country designed specifically for children with diabetes, and its activities are centered around the ideas of building self-confidence and improving the overall health of each child that attends a session. This includes encouraging each child to develop his or her own healthy habits and routines so that they can live long and healthy lives.
The camp serves children ages 5 to 18 and divides them into age appropriate cabins for male and female campers. There are currently 4 male cabins and 4 female cabins. The campers get to choose which activities they participate in during the day. These fun activities range from extremely active classes to less physical, but equally fun passive activities. The camp also pioneers some of its own unique activities, such as radio broadcasting, photography, website design, video production, and many others.
The purpose of Camp Sweeney is to help children with diabetes learn healthy habits that they can continue after they have left camp, and to build lasting relationships with other children dealing with the same problems that come with having diabetes. Extensive research studies conducted by the camp's parent, the Southwestern Diabetic Foundation, show that children and young adults attending Camp Sweeney lower their HBA1C (blood glucose average) by approx. 1 full point after attending the normal 20-day session. Beyond the purpose of better diabetes management, however, Camp Sweeney has the deeper and more extensive purpose of building self-confidence and true friendships that last a lifetime.
Read more about Camp Sweeney: KPFC FM
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