People in the Parks - A Perfect Fit

Dovetail Connects Kids and Nature  

When special kids and caring adults get together, they can make the world a brighter place! That’s the idea behind K.A.M.P. Dovetail, where the “KAMP” stands for Kids and Motivated People. Rocky Fork State Park has served as the home of the annual KAMP Dovetail retreat since 1989.

Actually, the kids are not retreating at all, but getting active and getting connected to nature and each other in ways that just aren’t possible in their daily lives. KAMP Dovetail is organized and operated by a southern Ohio non-profit, Supplemental Assistance to the Handicapped (SATH), which serves children with disabilities in Highland and surrounding counties. Each year, nearly 300 kids with various handicaps arrive at Rocky Fork to attend the week-long summer campout with their volunteer chaperones.

KAMP Dovetail is unique in many respects. Families pay a mere $15 for the week, and no child is turned away for lack of funds, or for the depth or severity of their disabilities. The event itself is extremely well organized, with a cadre of nurses on duty around-the-clock to help administer medicines and therapies, and respond to the unexpected. Each camper is accompanied by a volunteer chaperone who serves as the camper’s constant companion, involved in everything from feeding and caring for their camper to assisting them with activities and attending programs. The number of teenagers and young adults who serve as volunteer chaperones is especially impressive.

The campers experience a full range of outdoor activities including fishing and boating on the lake, swimming at the beach, exploring the trails, even horseback riding. For kids whose daily lives may seem limited by cognitive, sensory or mobility impairments, the experiences they have at KAMP Dovetail let their spirits soar. The change of scenery is refreshing, the activities are great fun, and the immersion in the outdoors is a powerful tonic.

The logistics are complex, the benefits are profound, yet the idea is simple. For one precious, eagerly anticipated week each year, careworn parents and kids can spend a carefree week having fun in the outdoors. Linda Allen, executive director of SATH and the heart and soul behind KAMP Dovetail, knows from experience that the ongoing responsibility of being a caregiver for a child with special needs can be exhausting. For many loving parents, this week is their only respite from the daily, or in some cases hourly, routines of providing complete head-to-toe care for a child.

KAMP Dovetail seems to bring out the best in everyone, and is a real point of pride for the community. The blossoming partnership with Rocky Fork over the last few years has also been great for the park, as well as the kids and their families. Two years ago, SATH helped provide funding to build a new shelterhouse at Rocky Fork to serve as the hub of gatherings during KAMP Dovetail. Park staff pitched in to get the facilities ready, and SATH works year-round to provide the funds to make the KAMP Dovetail week possible, including holding fundraisers at Rocky Fork during popular events like the annual Thunder in the Hills Festival in September.

Each year, KAMP Dovetail gets a little bigger and a little better, with an imaginative theme for activities and events. Thanks to the dedicated volunteers and the tireless staff at SATH, a lovely park is transformed each summer into a delightful playground where very special dreams really do come true.