Door County Adventure Center specializes in guiding and outfitting trips for groups of all ages and abilities. Our professional, certified team makes us the obvious choice for many groups, schools, workplaces, and organizations.
WisconSIBs is a non-profit organization that provides resources and programs for children who have siblings with a disability. They provide peer support programs, leadership development, as well as education and networking opportunities and have been doing so over the past 20 years. In order to provide a truly unique experience for their “Sibs,” or siblings of people with special needs, they have partnered with Door County Adventure Center in order to offer SIB Camp.
SIB Camp has two sessions, one for younger Sibs ages 9-11 and one for older Sibs for ages 12-15. Each session is 4 days, 3 nights, and gives campers the opportunity to zip line, kayak, paddle board, bike, hike, and have fun!
Two guides stay with the campers the entire camp and others assist during activities. This year I had the opportunity to be an overnight guide for both sessions, which is always exciting because that means 6 nights of s’mores! It also means that I had the chance to hang out with a bunch of amazing kids who have had some incredible life experiences.
The campers who come to camp have a lot more in common than they realize. They’re all extremely responsible and mature for their age. They have a great understanding that everyone has their own strengths and weakness no matter who they are, and are encouraging to others. The camp is dedicated to making sure that campers have the opportunity to be silly and have fun in a safe environment with peers who understand what struggles and joys they have at home. Each night we sit around the campfire with s’mores in-hand and discuss a “theme for the day”. This theme focuses on what makes campers unique and provides a questions that starts the conversation. Campfires are spent sharing how having a sibling with a disability affects their life and how it has shaped them as a person. Being a part of this discussion I saw how mature and well spoken each camper was. Through SIB Camp and other programs WisconSibs puts on, these young individuals become great advocates for their siblings.
Although structurally these camps are very similar, each is unique every year because of the new Sibs that attend and bring ideas and experiences to the camp. With every camp we sign everyone’s name on a wooden paddle and hang it in the Team Leadership Center location and we look forward to adding many more paddles for years to come!
