Camp Virginia Jaycee

"Camp Virginia Jaycee is a Summer time outdoor recreational and educational facility for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Camp is a 501 (c) 3 organization. Originally sponsored jointly by The Virginia Jaycees and the Virginia Association for Retarded Children, the Camp now functions as an independent non-profit corporation.

The idea of establishing a camp for children with special needs first originated in 1969 when Bill Robertson, a young Jaycee from Roanoke, identified the need for a special needs recreational camp, and convinced The Virginia Jaycees to sell apple jelly in order to fund and build Camp Virginia Jaycee. 

Since that time, the Jaycees of Virginia have raised funds for land acquisition, buildings, facility maintenance, and camperships. Today many other organizations and individuals partner with Camp Virginia Jaycee to bring services to people with special needs.

Children and adults with special needs can be helped physically, mentally, and emotionally by an outdoor education and recreation experience. Yet the National Association for Retarded Children has pointed out that only a small percentage of the citizens with special needs have actually been involved in existing tax supported public recreational facilities and programs. Camp Virginia Jaycee brings these special people such an experience."