Camp Isola Bella 2022
A Treasured Summertime Tradition: Camp Isola Bella
Camp Isola Bella offers campers a safe, friendly environment to learn, socialize and interact with their peers, building self-identity, confidence and leadership skills through daily activities. Presently the camp accommodates 120 campers each summer over two individual two-week sessions for Youth (8-12); Teens (13-18), and a one-week session for students with behavioral or emotional challenges. Campers are welcomed from all over the country, and many are from the New England states.
The camp curriculum aims to provide educational opportunities in a non-academic setting to reduce the risk of academic regression during the summer months. A typical day at camp includes waterfront activities (swimming, kayaking, canoeing, sailing, tubing, boat rides, etc.), archery, arts & crafts and camp studies. Afternoons are spent forming new friendships and discovering each other’s strengths through teambuilding exercises, cooperative games and problem solving activities.
Growing to Meet the Need
Presently, there are only a limited number of camps in the United States operating specifically for deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing campers, as well as Children of Deaf Adults (CODAs), and Camp Isola Bella is the only such camp in Connecticut. Therefore, Camp Isola Bella is truly a treasure that makes a difference in the lives of so many children and teens!
For the past several years, camper interest has far exceeded capacity. In fact, the 2019 summer camp roster filled within the first 30 minutes of registration. Wait lists have become the norm. In order to meet this increased campership demand, ASD must expand Isola Bella through the building of additional cabins and the renovation of existing camp space. The planned renovation would allow ASD to welcome an additional 75 campers every summer (over 5 weeks) – a 63% increase in campership.
To accommodate this increased campership, ASD plans to:
- Build two additional handicap-accessible cabins (one cabin for female campers, the second for male campers).
- Renovate two existing bathrooms to include handicap shower and toilet facilities, as well as handicap-accessible ramp access into the buildings.
- Enclose the existing covered patio, which is part of the camp house building, to increase available dining facilities for additional campers.
- Replace the pavilion roof, which provides a large indoor space for campers to gather when the weather is not suitable for outdoor activity and is in a state of disrepair.
- Complete an electrical upgrade for the camp, which is necessary for the completion of all outlined projects.
Camp Isola Bella has brought happiness and joy to countless campers over the past 45 years, and ASD is eager to make room for even more children to experience this treasured summertime tradition.
The words of one grateful camper illustrate the true value of Camp Isola Bella: “For all my life, I never really experienced true happiness. Here I feel truly happy. My past is full of darkness, but here I’m reminded of the light.”
Community Support
We are grateful to our loyal and dedicated community of supporters who have proudly stood behind ASD’s mission, and our students, for generations. As we begin this campaign, we are particularly grateful to the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving for supporting this project through a generous challenge grant.
Most of our campers rely on scholarships in order to attend a session, which is $950/child. The American School for the Deaf is particularly grateful to the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving as well as many individual donors who have provided scholarships to run our camp program for many years.
The Twin Lakes Community has also been pivotal in supporting projects at Camp Isola Bella, particularly the beautiful restoration of the treasured landmark known as the Bat Tower. We are grateful that this community has once again joined us to enhance the campground through the renovation of existing structures and the construction of two new fully accessible cabins. These improvements will support future opportunities for deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing children to experience all the benefits that Camp Isola Bella and Twin Lakes have to offer.
Facts at a Glance
For over 45 years, Camp Isola Bella has offered children who are deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing, as well as children of deaf adults, the treasure and joy of summer camp on a small island in the beautiful Twin Lakes.
- Founded in 1964
- Open to campers aged 8-18
- Runs in three sessions, one each for youth (2 weeks), teens (2 weeks) and students with emotional/behavioral challenges (1 week)
- Camp capacity currently 120 children over three sessions
- Interest has far exceeded capacity in recent years, and a waiting list has been required
- Camp roster in 2019 was filled within 30 minutes of registration opening
- On average nearly 70% of campers return for more than one season
- Provides barrier-free access to language and communication
- Offers a wide range of recreational activities: archery, boating, swimming, hiking, ropes course, arts and crafts, camping and nature activities
- Activities foster experiential learning, teamwork, communication and cooperation
- Literacy initiatives are integrated into daily programming
- Camp reunions draw campers back year after year
- Campers site “making friends and having fun,” finding a “sense of community and belonging” and “the awesome adults who support as” as favorite parts of their IB experience
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