Gap filled at Community Care Connections camps
FRANKLIN TWP — Sarah Sauers, camp director at Community Care Connections, couldn’t tolerate the thought that children of all ages did not have an opportunity to attend summer day camp at the organization’s facility off Route 422.
“It seemed like there was an open area for 3- and 4-year-olds,” Sauers said, “so I went to Brenda (Cole, CEO).”
Cole explained that Camp Apple, a free day camp program for school-age children, has been in existence for almost as long as the 50-year-old Community Care Connections itself.
Until 2016, Camp Apple was open only to children with disabilities, but exactly half of all campers in the program are typical children.
“That way the kids with disabilities could have peers they could role model, and the kids without disabilities could learn there are things to do and people to play with, regardless of ability,” Cole said.