Camp Sweeney
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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 spacifically for children with diabetes, and it's 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.
Camp Sweeney counselors are college-age individuals who are recruited from universities and medical programs all over the country. Great care is taken to select only the best, most responsible staff members who have a thorough knowledge of diabetes and working with children with special needs. There is a ratio of one counselor to every five campers at any given time, so immediate care is available around the clock. Each camper is also assigned a special counselor at the beginning of each session who serves as that campers "big sibling." These counselors work with a group of about 4 campers and spend time daily with the campers in a more personal setting doing activities, having discussion, and getting to know other group members. This "big sibling" also keeps in close contact with parents of their campers throughout the session through weekly letters updating them on their child's condition and accomplishments.
Camp Sweeney also employs 24-hour medical staff that includes various medical students and physicians. These individuals work exclusively to provide medical care, insulin dosing, blood sugar corrections, nighttime blood sugar monitoring, and emergency care to every camper when needed. The Camp Sweeney Hospital offers some of the most state of the art medical care available in a camp setting. These medical staff members also conduct a daily "medical lecture" with each age group of campers, instructing them about how best to care for their medical condition. These classes are fun, fast-paced, and interesting.
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. Camp Sweeney is a family, as many campers see it as much more than a simple summer camp program - It truly changes lives!
Camp Sweeney will offer the three traditional 20-day sessions in 2008, as well as a three-day Senior Weekend, Spring Fling Family Weekend, and a five-day Winter Session.
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[edit] KPFC & Camp Sweeney's Broadcasting Program
Camp Sweeney is home to an FCC licensed non-commercial radio station, KPFC-FM. KPFC-FM transmits on the 91.9 FM frequency and its translator, K206CD, transmits on the 89.1 FM frequency. It also operates as a live internet station and can be heard worldwide online. In addition to a 24-hour mix of music and news programming, many of the major camp activities throughout the summer are broadcast live for parents and friends of campers. These broadcasts are also available as live and on-demand video podcasts as part of the Camp Sweeney Video Production program. Camp Sweeney is the only camp in the United States to be granted an FCC-FM licence to operate such a station. Both KPFC and the video production program operate out of studios located on the campgrounds. KPFC also operates a satellite studio at Callisburg High School. During camping sessions, campers who select "Broadcasting" or "Video Produciton" as one of their daily activities play a major role in the programming of the station by producing various shows, news reports, weather forecasts, and other video and music programming. This is a great starting point for those interested in entering the radio or television industry in the future; several former campers and staffers have gone on to study RTV at college and work for other radio and television stations throughout the country.
[edit] 2008 Session Dates
Spring Fling Family Weekend: April 18 - Apil 20
First Session: June 8 - June 27
Second Session: June 29 - July 18
Third Session: July 20 - August 8
Senior Weekend: August 8 - August 10 (for campers age 13 and older who have attended a 3-week session during the same summer)
Winter Break Session: December 27 - January 1
[edit] Camp Quotes
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"Where Friendship Begins and Never Ends."
"Camp Sweeney will always be second in my heart. (God is first) it is a place were you can let off steam, relax or have what Erine would call "F.U.N to the M.A.X". i will never forget about Camp because when i have lost everything i will have Camp Sweeney. i believe Camp Sweeney is where friendships begin and never end. I LOVE this place and i cant wait until winter session then second session 08. As goin to camp for 6 years (7 years in 08) if you dis camp sweeney you dissin over 20,000 kids and that could be your friends or family members so DON'T DIS CAMP SWEENEY" because as would T.I.P and T.I say" "u know u know wut it dew".
-Joshua Carter (2007)
"Man Camp Sweeney is the best place in the world you can't even put in to words."
-David Shellman Jr AKA Princess (2007)
"It is the best camp ever and it is where I am with my ownkind, It is the place i truly consider home. Without camp sweneey, i do not know wat kind of person i would be today. when i am there people understand everyone else and i feel like im in place.
-David Conroy (2007)
"Camp Sweeney is the only place where dancing on tables and singing songs about chicken strips is considered ordinary, along with the only place where a day of the week is dedicated to the color purple. Its where you want to be yourself the most, because no matter how different you think you are, there will always be a place where you and your tie-dye shorts will fit in."
-Hayes Persons (2007)
Wow, camp is everything in the world!! Carnivel Queen, Camper of the Week, and best of all, Code of Living. I've been blessed with these things! But I couldn't do it without the support of friends!
-Sarah Henry- AKA, Tator Tot!! (2007)
From Broadcasting To Tumbling Camp Sweeney Has It All! But The Best Thing About Camp Sweeney Is The Support You Have From All Your Friends.
-Matthew Speer (2007)
When you are at Camp Sweeney you are part of a family. It has a lott of coool stuff but I go 4 the friends Ive made. Camp Sweeney is truly my home.
-Garon Hignight(2007)
"Camp has always been a place where I can just know everything (including my blood sugar) will be alright, it is my home and it will always have a special place in my heart, because if it wasn't for camp, I wouldn't be who I am today."
-Andrew Gray(2007)
When People Ask Me If I have any Brothers Or Sisters,I Say I have around 250.
(anonymous Camper)
I Love Camp Sweeney It has been my second home It has been my sacond family. Camp sweeney is so F-U-N TO THE M-A-X and every year I wait to come back and see My friends and family and camp is really is friendsips begin and never end. -Matt Henley (2007)
"When you go to this place you are instantly accepted. I have met all of my friends there. it is like having a family something i've never really had. i would do anything for that place."
- Jonathon (JarJar) Williams (2008)
Camp Sweeney is a place where you can fit in because people understand what your going through. the motto "where friendship begins.....and never ends, is true. i can't wait until second session!
-Lauren Sullivan (2007)
[edit] Camp Song
"Im in love with you Camp Sweeney, for your deeds so true. Perseverance, faith, and courage, help our tests stay true. Forward, onward, never falter; watchword never fail. All our hopes and prayers forever, to our camp all hail! Happier times we've never known then our days spent here. Swims in lovely, blue Lake Dealy; classes we hold dear. Proteins, fats, and carbohydrates we can weigh with ease. Bravely we will face life's hurdles, HAIL to Camp Sweeney!"
The camp song is sung at many of the significant camp activities throughout each camping session, and is usually sung in a complete circle with each camper and staff member holding hands right over left. It is sung in reverence and in memory of past campers and staff that have passed though the program.
[edit] Top Ten Things You Wont Understand About Camp Sweeney
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This article or section needs to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help improve this article with relevant internal links. (February 2008) |
1. The Jurangadon
2. The Chicken Strip Song
3. Flight Pattern
4. A Friendly Game Of Dodgeball
5. The F.U.N Clock
6. The Grey Ghost
7. Code Of Living
8. Purple Powerday
9. Fight Song Wednesday
10. Calvin Beagledorf
[edit] Statistics
- Number of children that attend camp each year- over 1,000
- Number of campers served since 1950- over 20,000
- Record for most campers in 1 session-3rd session 2007, 280 campers
[edit] External links
- Camp Sweeney is at coordinates Coordinates:
