Summer brings campfires, swimming, and new adventures—but for many kids and adults with disabilities, finding a camp where you truly belong can be harder than it should be.
For years, Aiden watched his sister head off to sleepaway camp. His family wondered if that experience might always be out of reach for him. That is, until they found SOAR365’s Summer Camp in Chesterfield County.
Warm and Welcoming
The entrance to Camp Baker is a winding drive through the lush, green woodlands. Cheerful signs greet new campers and get them ready for the adventures ahead. Held on 22 acres, SOAR365’s Summer Camp offers classic camp activities—swimming, hiking, art, music, sports, and talent shows—paired with individualized support.
SOAR365’s Summer Camp is proud to be accredited by the American Camp Association. Here, campers benefit from a low camper-to-staff ratio. Summer Camp counselors come from all over the world and go through an extensive training process. They learn to help with a variety of support needs, including feeding, dressing, bathing, toileting, and mobility. Meanwhile, on-site nursing staff provide medical care, including g-tube flushes and feedings, repositioning, medication management and more.
A Place for Aiden
Over the past four summers, Aiden has grown from a day camper into a confident overnight camper—something his mom says he won’t do anywhere else. Each year, familiar counselors welcome him by name. Nurses and staff remember his routines, his preferences, and his quirks. Instead of asking him to fit into camp, camp meets him where he is.
“They work with him,” says Kara. “It’s nice to have a place where he can feel successful.”
That sense of success shows up in small moments—and big ones. Aiden looks forward to seeing his friends from previous summers. He enjoys fishing with a buddy, riding trails together on a UTV, or cooling off at the pool after a hot afternoon. He’s tried horseback riding and even met snakes and reptiles through one of camp’s community partners.
Most of all, Kara says, Aiden loves the freedom.
“He likes being there without his parents,” she explains. “It made him feel so independent and confident.”
Ten Weeks of Summer Camp Adventures
SOAR365 offers ten weeks of Summer Camp each year: two week-long sessions for children (ages 6-17) and eight week-long sessions for adults (ages 18+). Accessibility is a top priority, with features like a wheelchair-accessible firepit, a calming sensory room, an ADA-compliant pool lift chair, accessible playgrounds and more. Campers love it so much that it was recently voted one of the top summer camps in Central Virginia.
“Aidan is so happy there,” Kara says. “And it gives the parents a little reprieve. It gives us a chance to breathe.”
While Aiden’s parents live nearby and enjoy visiting on weekends, they’ve also noticed how much he’s grown over time. Each year, he needs them a little less. Each year, his confidence stretches a little further.
“It’s just awesome,” Kara says. “It gives us hope that he can be more independent and do more on his own.”
Whether a camper is heading to camp for the very first time or returning to familiar faces, SOAR365’s Summer Camp offers a place to build friendships and confidence. Here, along wooded trails and around evening campfires, confidence grows—one summer, one friendship, and one brave new step at a time.
Learn more about Summer Camp 2026, including scheduling options, FAQs and registration details, at soar365.org/summer-camp-2026.
You can help SOAR365’s campers have a summer to remember! Give to SOAR365’s Summer Camp scholarship fund, or become a volunteer, helping with Summer Camp activities or cheering on campers at the Talent Show.
