- This event has passed.
Domestic Adoption Camp
August 4, 2016 - August 7, 2016
Join us for Domestic Adoption Camp to be held in 2016 at Regis University in Denver. Yes we have outgrown our site in Golden, and are moving to a bigger, more accomodating site for our growing camp! We welcome families built by domestic adoption, foster care, and kinship. It will be a wonderful weekend in celebration of our adoptive families!
EVERY adopted child comes with a heritage, a background, and an identity that is not the exact same as their adoptive parents. In the 25 years we have been providing Heritage Camps, we have found this difference to be a true gift for families, and one that should be celebrated and explored together. Without question, this camp has revealed how important recognizing and finding ways to talk about and celebrate adoption is vital for adoptive families. As one parent put it, “The impact this camp had on my son was watching him interact with the other kids as if they’d always been best friends, and to see him getting more comfortable with what it means to be adopted.”
It is often said, “How can you know where you are going if you don’t know where you came from?” The mission of Domestic Adoption Camp is to provide an unprecedented place for families to learn, share, gain support, and celebrate adoption with each other. As one of our parents planning camp recently said, “My daughter has talked about this camp ever since it ended last year. Somehow, she just knew it was a good feeling being there.” There is no greater gift parents can give their children than the opportunity to discover who they really are, and to celebrate in that discovery with them.
Our theme for DAC 2016 is “The Family Circus,” and we are pleased to announce that the Salida Circus will be joining us to perform and teach! The Salida Circus will get camp off to a great start with a fabulous interactive illusion show by Magic Steve with lots of audience participation and family humor. Then young campers ages 5 and older will learn how to be circus performers by rotating through three 30-minute workshop stations that will include aerial, juggling, and acrobatics/tumbling. The workshops for the children will conclude with a demonstration by participants in circus costumes!
The circus theme will continue to be reflected in the kids’ crafts and activities (face painting, balloon animals, clowning around anyone?), as well as in adult programming. Our teen program will include plenty of fun as well, plus the opportunity to connect and focus on the ins and outs, ups and downs of teenage life. The adults will focus on how to deal with the chaos that family life often presents, while still seeking out and finding the joy and fun we all desire.
DAC 2016 is sure to be a wonderful time to connect with other adoptive families, create a sense of community, and celebrate adoption. For parents and kids alike, camp is an important way to enjoy companionship with other families like our own, and a meaningful way to see we are not alone in our experience. Please join us!
Scholarships are available for those who need financial assistance to attend camp. We also are continuing the “Plus One” program this year. Any family (new or previous attendee) who informs another family about our camp, and gets them to register and attend this summer, will receive a gift certificate to our market! So come join us, and bring a friend!
