A couple works to bring outdoors-based summer camp experiences to special-needs youth.
Photo Above: Cathy and Scott Balsley launched Camp LIGHT in 2014 on 160 acres.
Photos Courtesy of Camp LIGHT.
Eight elementary schoolers giggle nervously as 53-year-old Camp LIGHT founder and president Scott Balsley ushers them into a wide, sandy horse ring where his wife, Cathy, holds the reigns of a chestnut mare named Jenny.
The children get close then abruptly shy away — and Balsley fans them into a huddle.
“You got this, guys,” he coaches as Cathy flashes a thumbs-up. “Remember, Jenny’s as excited to meet you as you are to meet her.”
The kids nod with renewed determination. They tip-toe toward the horse and, following Scott’s lead, take turns petting her neck and shoulder. Their faces quickly plaster with grins.
“Most of our campers have never been this close to a horse, much less been asked to pet one,” says Scott. That’s because the nonprofit Waynesboro, Virginia, summer day camp exclusively serves children with special needs. But with a little kindness and encouragement, “most kids open up pretty quick.”
Within 10 minutes all have volunteered for bridle-led rides. Each returns beaming and Scott helps them dismount into a sea of high-fives and praise. When it’s over, he and Cathy lead a cheer for overcoming fears and trying new things.
“That moment when their faces light up and they realize they’ve done something they used to think was impossible?” he says. “Building that confidence is what this is all about.”
At Camp LIGHT’s 160-acre campus kids learn about foodways and farm life by helping with pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, horses, an organic vegetable garden and more. They fish in stocked ponds, try out archery, hike nature trails, swim in the pool—and explore a replica 1950s Main Street called Adaville.
The latter boasts a working diner, service station, pool hall and juke joint, theater, arcade, barbershop, general store and an ice cream parlor with vintage soda fountains. Each features period-correct décor and is staffed by volunteers wearing era outfits.
Best of all: Tuition is free.
“We provide an immersive, wholesome, outdoors-based camp experience to kids with needs beyond the scope of traditional programs,” says Scott. The goal is to spur personal growth through meeting new friends, getting outside comfort zones and “focusing on their abilities instead of their disabilities.”
The idea to found one of the East Coast’s few summer camps for children with special needs stemmed from a Special Olympics benefit the Balsleys helped spearhead in 2009.
The canoe-race fundraiser was held just miles from Shenandoah National Park and let kids experience floats on the scenic South River. It was a hit with parents and they shared obstacles they faced helping their kids tap into the benefits of nature. The absence of accessible summer camps was high on the list.
“That felt like an injustice,” says Scott, a builder by trade with a long history of philanthropic fundraising. Camps provide much-needed childcare and a place for children to “experience nature, stretch their imaginations, make new friends and have a blast. I thought, ‘These kids are disadvantaged and underserved as it is. Having that opportunity could be really beneficial.’”
The Balsleys drafted a mission statement around the acronym LIGHT: To Love, Inspire, Give Hope, Teach. They started raising funds and searching for a property in 2011—and inadvertently compiled a team.
“The idea struck a chord,” says Cathy, a registered nurse. “We’d tell people about the camp and they’d ask what they could do to help.”
Support came from local doctors, psychologists, business owners, educators, artists and more. Scott’s sister, Kelly Truxell, had a background in business and came on board as a volunteer development director. Then 91-year-old Walter Thompson reached out about donating his farm.
“That changed the game,” says Scott. Having the land “enabled us to attract major sponsors, in-kind funding for construction projects and the grants we needed to bring a vision of this magnitude to life on such a quick timetable.”
Camp LIGHT launched in 2014 and now holds eight weeks of camp for about 225 kids each summer. It also hosts field trips for children living in foster homes, weekends for adults with special needs, annual reunion events and more. There are plans to add a 10,000-square-foot dining hall with a state-of-the-art kitchen and dormitories that together will boost summer capacity to more than 600. A zipline course, manmade lake and small waterpark are also in the works.
“This has become our passion,” says Scott. “Seeing these kids leave each day glowing and telling their parents what an awesome time they had? That’s the most rewarding thing in the world. It makes the long hours and hard work worth it.”
The story above first appeared in our May / June 2024 issue.
