This content is sponsored by Melwood.
Melwood’s Camp Accomplish was a bold idea for its time when it opened in 1998 – a first-of-its-kind inclusive summer camp experience where kids with and without disabilities could go to camp together. Melwood, a leading national employer, advocate, and service provider for people with disabilities, has welcomed children to Camp Accomplish for 25 years, creating countless once-in-a-lifetime experiences for kids across the D.C. area.
Before Camp Accomplish, if a family had a child with a disability and a child without, “They often had to send their kids to different summer camps,” said Jewelyn Cosgrove, vice president of government and public relations, Melwood. Melwood, she added, was one of the first to say, “We can accept all of you; we can accept everyone.”
Camp Accomplish is not just a place for children to be accepted and play, but it’s also a place to grow and learn. Children at Camp Accomplish experience traditional summer camp activities, while also exploring new interests and skills, team building, and growing in their communication and social interactions.
Throughout the summer, community leaders and Camp Accomplish families gathered together to celebrate the program’s 25th Anniversary – starting off with a community barbecue, a volunteer event during “Grow it, Make it, Eat it” camp week for company employees and campers, and capped off with a special cooking workshop with celebrity chef Spike Mendelsohn through a community partnership with the Maryland-based company, The Wills Group.
Mendelsohn was a contestant on Bravo’s “Top Chef” in 2008, finishing fifth. After his appearance on the show, he opened several restaurants in the D.C. area, including Good Stuff Eatery. Mendelsohn is also a food equity advocate, and he conducted a cooking workshop using fresh produce harvested from the Camp Accomplish Learning Garden.
“Seeing the garden and how clean it looked just spoke volumes to me on how they take care of the rest of the facilities and the rest of the program,” Mendelsohn said.
The workshop taught campers and their families about the importance of nutritious food and its health benefits, while also demonstrating some new culinary skills they can use at home, including how to make healthy meals.
Mendelsohn was also impressed by the camp’s inclusiveness, saying, “All in all, Camp Accomplish is accomplishing big things.” Mendelsohn also complimented the detail that goes into Melwood’s programs and the love, passion, and knowledge of the workers and volunteers.
One camper who attended the cooking workshop shared that he learned a special trick to cut onions from Mendelsohn’s demonstration, and he learned how to hold a knife properly. In addition to making delicious food, he said Mendelsohn “made cooking fun.”
Melwood Chief Strategy Officer Scott Gibson said that what looks like a few fun weeks of summer camp at Camp Accomplish is really a way to explore interests and potential opportunities for the future. “They’re challenging themselves; they’re building new strengths; and sometimes, even exploring careers,” Gibson said.
The Wills Group celebrated the program’s enduring impact by volunteering at Camp Accomplish, sponsoring special programming throughout the summer, and providing a Community Engagement grant of $20,000. The Wills Group operates convenience stores, car washes and gas services that aim to “transform necessary, everyday errands into more delicious, more delightful, and more rewarding experiences.”
“The donation builds on our previous support of $40,000 to Melwood in 2022 and marks the first annual grant of a five-year $100,000 pledge to Melwood’s Camp Accomplish: Seed-to-Table program,” a news release from the company said.
“I think it’s just tremendous to invest in our youth, knowing that they’re going to be our future,” Blackie Wills, The Wills Group president and COO, said. “And to subscribe to the notion that if we take care of our communities, they’re going to take care of us.”
With activities such as horseback riding, creative and performing arts, sports, adventure activities, horticulture, culinary arts and so much more, Camp Accomplish offers plenty of opportunities for children ages 5 to 18 to have fun, and to discover their strengths. Each camper can try new things, and campers who know exactly what they like can choose specific themed programs.
They get a chance to see beyond barriers and limitations and envision a future career path. In turn, the job interests, and skills they cultivated from their experiences at camp will contribute to building a more inclusive workforce of the future.
With the holiday season and end-of-year giving right around the corner, there are many reasons why you should consider donating to help support communities like Camp Accomplish that offer an inclusive summer camp for kids with and without disabilities.
Learn more about Camp Accomplish, Melwood’s inclusive youth programs and ways to donate at www.melwood.org.
