“I guess I have to go home now,” whispered the young girl after coming out of a seizure. Not missing a beat, her counselor said, “No, let’s go to archery!”
That simple, powerful exchange captures the spirit of Camp For All, where challenging illnesses, disabilities, or special needs are met with opportunities to discover life.
Camp For All has the ability to serve 9,000 campers each year who can experience the magic of Camp on its 206-acre site in Burton, Texas. What sets Camp For All apart is its fully adaptive programming. Whether it’s fishing, canoeing, zip-lining, horseback riding, or tapping into creativity through music, photography, painting, and dance, every camper is encouraged to try, to play, and to thrive in their own way. Beyond the fun, something deeper happens: Emotional healing. Campers form friendships, build confidence, and realize that their challenges do not define them.
As one camper put it, “Being at Camp was the first time I felt normal and included. I actually felt like a kid.” Another shared, “I felt like I had no one. When I went Camp For All, I realized I was not alone.”
Camp For All doesn’t do this alone. It is supported by generous donors and collaborates with more than 65 nonprofit Partner organizations to bring campers to the site.
As Texas’ population grows, so does the need. More children are being diagnosed with challenges, and more families are seeking the kind of transformative support Camp For All offers. At the helm of Camp For All is President and CEO Pat Prior Sorrells, a passionate advocate for disability rights and mental health. For nearly 20 years, she has led the organization with vision, empathy, and relentless dedication.
It’s not the accolades that matter to Sorrells. It’s stories like the camper who thought she’d have to go home after a seizure and instead went to archery – something she never imagined she’d be able to do. That camper is now a child life specialist, married, with children of her own. She credits that single moment at Camp For All as the one that changed her life.
