Delavan’s Jennifer Kuehni speaks to the Delavan Lions Club about the Wisconsin Lions Camp. Kuehni’s son Andrew Ohl has attended the camp for five summers.

The Wisconsin Lions Camp, owned and operated by the Wisconsin Lions Foundation, Inc., begins its 60^th year of camping for youth and adults with disabilities on May 31, 2016.

In those prior six decades, the camp has given thousands of youth the support they need to feel valued and accomplish their goals and ambitions.

One of those campers is Delavan’s Andrew Ohl, who has autism and epilepsy, his mother Jennifer Kuehni told the Delavan Lions Club recently.

“The only regret I have about the camp is not having known about it the first year Andrew would have been eligible to attend it,” Kuehni told the club recently. “He had the chance to feel normal and accepted” in the five summers he went to camp. And, he never got homesick, she added.

The staff members are trained to work with children who have a variety of disabilities, from vision and hearing to cognitive and physical disabilities, Kuehni said. And the kids tend to get along very well because of their similarities and surroundings.

“As a parent, this camp has been such a God-send,” Kuehni said. “Andrew hasn’t always fit in socially. But it’s wonderful to hear him talk about how easy it is for him to make friends with his cabin-mates. He even enjoyed spending a night in the health care center once (after a seizure)… That in itself says a lot about how nice the camp is.”

The Wisconsin Lions Camp offers a 12-week summer camping program that is provided free of charge, made possible by the financial support of the Lions, Lioness and Leo Clubs of Wisconsin. Individuals and corporate donor also assist the Lions with financial support, making the camp possible.

Specialized camping sessions are scheduled for youth who socially or educationally function as having an intellectual disability or educational autism, or for youth with diabetes.

The Lions Camp provides summer employment opportunities in positions of cabin counselors, program specialists, and nurses, with male counselors and nurses being the camp’s greatest needs. There is also a counselor in-training program for youth ages 16 and 17 for a fee.

In addition to the regular summer camping program, the Wisconsin Lions Camp has rental opportunities during the off-season. The facility is available for rental, with preference given to school groups, organizations serving persons with disabilities and other non-profit groups.

Camper applications for various programs, or information on summer employment may be obtained by contacting: Wisconsin Lions Camp, 3834 County Road A, Rosholt, WI 54473. You can also call the camp at (715) 677-4969, email the camp at info@wisconsinlionscamp.com or visit the camp’s website, www.wisconsinlionscamp.com