THOMASVILLE — Camp ARROW, a weeklong residential camp for children with multiple disabilities, celebrated its 50th anniversary of serving the South Georgia region on Wednesday afternoon with a therapeutic horseback ride coordinated by Hands and Hearts for Horses.

Established in 1973, Camp ARROW (Art, Rest and Relaxation in the Outdoor World) has provided multidisabled youth ages 7-14 with the traditional camp experience, allowing kids to swim, fish, partake in arts and crafts, sing, and even dance the night away before an awards banquet at the end of camp.

Camp ARROW was the brainchild of a group of concerned citizens in Thomasville composed of a lawyer, a doctor, a teacher, and a principal who wanted to create a camp without barriers so that children with special needs could experience the joys of summer camp.

For 25 years, Camp Piney Woods, a YMCA camp that sits on the outskirts of Thomasville hosted Camp ARROW.

However, the camp relocated in the late nineties to Camp Tygart, located in Hahira, just nine miles south of Valdosta. Despite its relocation, the camp has remained a staple for Thomasville children.

The Camp ARROW Board of Trustees has worked diligently over the years to keep camper fees as low as possible in order to make camp affordable for all families. Many of the campers receive scholarships from generous donors and groups. There is still a need, though as camp counselors would love to open the camp up to two weeks, allowing for more children to come and experience the joy they’ve crafted over the last five decades.

“It makes such a huge difference in the life of kids and in the life of the staff,” President of the Camp ARROW Board of Trustees Susan Esra said.

Esra has found joy in being able to help children get to camp and has found herself attending some of the camp’s outings such as the visit to Hands and Hearts for Horses.

During her annual visit, she always sees kids grow from scared to confident in their first riding experience.

“There are always kids who have never ridden a horse and are scared,” she said. “Their faces when they get on the back of the horse and ride are priceless though.”

This is just one of the many memories staff saw throughout the week.

Camp Administrator Sheila Swicegood, who first worked at the camp as a senior counselor in 1977, has had a long affiliation with the camp and can recall countless times where the children have brought her as much joy as she hopes she brings them.

One of her favorite moments of camp is the first night, when kids sing the prayer in sign language.

“Seeing the kids try and watching everybody is like angels singing,” she said.

As the week goes on the kids who began singing together as strangers slowly develop into family. With 20 years at the helm, Swicegood now has numerous “kids” she calls her own.

“By the end of the week, we are a family,” she said, smiling. “We tease each other, we support each other and it’s just so nice. We have everybody’s back and make sure they have what they need.”

Being a part of this family, Swicegood said she has learned more from the children than she could ever imagine.

“They teach us it’s not about what you have, it’s about what you do,” she said. “Every time you learn more and more; I’m so thankful.”

As Swicegood reflected, she recalled a specific instance of the beautiful relationships counselors and campers have created through their combined efforts.

One of the young girls had expressed a hope to have someone dance with her the night of the dance. To ensure, her dream came true, counselor Darrell Mudra, Jr. picked her up in his car, placed a corsage on her, and drove her to the dance, before filling up her dance card.

“She felt like a queen,” Swicegood said. “It’s just been a special place since the get-go.”

As Swicegood and her team look toward the next 50 years, they hope to continue being a place for kids and counselors to create magical memories.

Their dream is to open up the camp for another week, a plan that was in place before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the camp for two years.

The camp is currently at capacity, so a second week would allow for additional campers to experience the outdoors, along with more sponsors to visit and see the activities taking place thanks to their donations.

For anyone looking to donate or sponsor a camper, the standard camper fee is $350 with all donations being tax-deductible.

For more information, contact board members in writing at the following address: Camp ARROW, P.O. Box 647, Thomasville, Ga. 31799.