Camp Sweeney



Camp Sweeney is an American summer camp located in Gainesville, Texas. It is primarily for children with type 1 diabetes and sometimes their siblings. It has been in operation since 1950.

Though it offers normal summer camp activities such as swimming, hiking, archery, basketball, volleyball, waterpark, broadcasting and arts and crafts, its many facilities are designed with the diabetic child in mind. Built-in blood glucose testing stations are scattered throughout the camp, and counselors carry monitors and insulin with them at all times. During meals, each camper has their food tray prepared with the right number of carbohydrates for their chosen diet. The campers also go to medical lecture several times a week so that they can learn how to better care for their diabetes as well as keep up with the latest developments in diabetes research.

The camp serves children ages 5 to 18 and divides them into age appropriate cabins. The campers get to choose which activities they participate in during the day. Counselors, college students who are often recruited from The University of Notre Dame and other colleges around the nation, help younger children learn to administer their own insulin shots or change their own insulin pumps sites.

The purpose of Camp Sweeney is to help children with diabetes learn healthy habits that they can continue after they have left camp, and to build lasting relationships with other children dealing with the same problems that come with having diabetes. Extensive reaserch sudies conducted by the camp's parent, the Southwestern Diabetic Foundation, show that children and young adults attending Camp Sweeney lower their HBA1C (blood glucose average) by approx. 1 full point after attending the normal 20-day session. Beyond the purpose of better diabetes management, however, Camp Sweeney has the deeper and more extensive pourpose of building self-confidence and true friendships that last a lifetime. Camp Sweeney is a family, as many campers see it as much more than a simple summer camp program - It truly changes lives!

In addition to three summer sessions of 20 days each, Camp Sweeney also offers a one-week senior week, a five-day mini session, a family weekend in the spring, and a five-day Winter Session.

Camp Sweeney is the home of an FCC licensed non-commercial radio station, KPFC-FM. KPFC-FM transmits on the 91.9 FM frequency and its translator, K206CD, transmits on the 89.1 FM frequency.

Camp Quotes
-"Where Friendship Begins and Never Ends."

"Man Camp Sweeney is the best place in the world you can't even put in to words                                                     -David Shellman Jr AKA Princess (2007)

"It is the best camp ever and it is where I am with my ownkind,It is the place i truly consider home

-David Conroy  (2007)

"Camp Sweeney is the only place where dancing on tables and singing songs about chicken strips is considered ordinary, along with the only place where a day of the week is dedicated to the color purple. Its where you want to be yourself the most, because no matter how different you think you are, there will always be a place where you and your tie-dye shorts will fit in."

-Hayes Persons (2007)

Wow, camp is everything in the world!! Carnivel Queen, Camper of the Week, and best of all, Code of Living. I've been blessed with these things! But I couldn't do it without the support of friends!

Sarah Henry- AKA, Tator Tot!! (2007)

From Broadcasting To Tumbling Camp Sweeney Has It All! But The Best Thing About Camp Sweeney Is The Support You Have From All Your Friends.

-Matthew Speer(2007)

When you are at Camp Sweeney you are part of a family. It has a lott of coool stuff but I go 4 the friends Ive made.Camp Sweeney is truly my home.

-Garon Hignight(2007)

"Camp has always been a place where I can just know everything (including my blood sugar) will be alright, it is my home and it will always have a special place in my heart, because if it wasn't for camp, I wouldn't be who I am today."

-Andrew Gray(2007)

Camp Song
"Im in love with you Camp Sweeney, for your deeds so true. Perseverance, faith, and courage, help our tests stay true. Forward, onward, never falter; watchword never fail. All our hopes and prayers forever, to our camp all hail! Happier times we've never known then our days spent here. Swims in lovely, blue Lake Dealy; classes we hold dear. Proteins, fats, and carbohydrates we can weigh with ease. Bravely we will face life's hurdles, HAIL to Camp Sweeney!"

The camp song is sung at many of the significant camp activities throughout each camping session, and is usually sung in a complete circle with each camper and staff member holding hands right over left. It is sung in reverence and in memory of past campers and staff that have passed though the program.

Statistics

 * Number of children that attend camp each year- over 1,000
 * Number of campers served since 1950- over 20,000
 * Record for most campers in 1 session-3rd session 2007,280 campers