CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Camp Rainbow provides an incredible opportunity for children who typically are excluded from traditional summer camps. Since 1983, Camp Rainbow creates a week-long camp for children living with life-long and chronically ill conditions. It is held in June of each year at Brandon Springs Group Camp, just outside Dover.

The camp was founded by The Dream Factory, a nation-wide non-profit organization, which is dedicated to granting wishes of children who are suffering from chronic illness.

Diane Miner, mother of current Camp Director, Jereme Minor, helped start the camp in 1983 and crafted a concept that catered to the needs of chronically ill children unable to attend regular camps. This is exactly what Camp Rainbow is today, and around 40 children attend each year.

With at least a one to one camper/counselor ratio, each camper picks which activities they want to do throughout the week, and when they want to do them. The whole week revolves around the campers, “I once had a kid, who all he wanted to do was fish, so that’s what we did. Sun-up to sundown, and then some.” Camp Director Jereme Miner said.

One area The Dream Factory emphasizes, is that they want to help all eligible children, regardless of race, religion, national origin, or financial status. To help with this, Camp Rainbow is completely free to the campers, The Dream Factory provides a full staff each year including doctors, nurses, and one on one counselors on a 24-hour basis.

Videographer, Coy Strothers, is one of the many volunteers willing to help. Strothers produces a video each day of the week commemorating the campers’ experiences. For three years he has spent countless hours on videos, sometimes until the early hours of the morning. He emphasized how much the volunteer and camper relationship means. “They make me want to give my all for them, everyone just loves them so much.”

Camp Rainbow is a very special place and is ran by some very special people. Of course, everything is done for the kids, and allowing them to have the best experience they can have, but the volunteers enjoy it too. “It’s not only the kids who look forward to it, but the counselors and volunteers are counting down to the day camp starts as well.” Miner said.

Beaver 100.3 and Camp Rainbow team up each February to host the Camp Rainbow Radiothon. Last year the event raised $55,600 to send kids to the Camp. In the past 10 years, the radiothon has raised over $500,000 to Camp.

For more information about Camp Rainbow or how you can get involved next year, visit ClarksvilleCampRainbow.org or call (931) 647-9865.