Camp for medically complex kids receives $1.5 million of state funding

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Center for Courageous Kids, a nonprofit medical camp that is free for children with disabilities and lifelong illnesses, received $1.5 million from the state general assembly Tuesday morning.

This funding was the largest of its kind for the CCK ever. 

State Sen. Max Wise and State Rep. Shawn McPherson presented the state funding to The Center for Courageous Kids campus.

Combined with a donor match, the investment will fully fund a lodging facility for medical volunteers who provide around-the-clock care for campers with complex medical needs. 

According to Darren Dannelly, the president and CEO for the CCK, says this free camp lets kids who may not usually be able to participate in activities enjoy a sleep away camp safely.

“I believe in CCK and what we do. I believe that every kid should get a chance to come to camp and experience that and so often our campers are told, ‘No, you can’t.’ Whereas at CCK it’s ‘yes, you can.’ We want them to ride a horse just like any other camper. We want them to go in a canoe. We want a kid to go fishing and catch a fish for the first time. We want a kid to experience the joy of what camp brings to so many in a medically safe environment,” said Dannelly.

Stacy Fry, the mother of a camper, says this camp changed her son’s life.

“He was very excited, but nervous. He expressed fear of being far from home and that he might be bullied for his differences. We explained that camp was a special camp and that while they may have different diagnoses, all of the kids attending camp were like him. They would understand him in a way that the kids at school sometimes don’t,” said Fry.

McPherson was born with a physical disability and had a daughter diagnosed with Transverse Myalitis who attended the camp, so he was passionate about helping get the funding together for the CCK.

“That child gets to see the other people that are like them. They get to do things that they’ve heard. ‘I wish you could. I wish we could get you up on a horse. I wish we could get you in that pool. I wish we could do whatever.’ And if you can do it here, if you can see it here, you can dream it here. You can do it here. And once you’ve done something, then the world becomes bigger. Once you hear ‘I can’ instead of ‘I can’t.’ Sometimes it’s ‘I can’t right now. But I will find a way to ‘I can.” And that’s what this camp does. And that’s why it’s so emotional to me,” said McPherson.

“He has different needs than a lot of kids and especially at his age, there are things that he deals with that are embarrassing and frustrating and knowing that he was somewhere safe where people understood and were able to help him when he needed it was critical. And we’re just so happy we were able to find this place,” said Fry.

The facility will help ensure the CCK can continue and expand its ability to provide a safe, accessible and medically inclusive camp for children and their families free of cost.