Camp Bright Star
Camp Bright Star is a summer day camp for children with special needs. Begun in the late sixties under the name Camp New Hope this camp has continuously provided much needed respite care and social/recreational activities for children with special needs. On In 2008, when Camp Hope lost its ability to operate, the Cumberland YMCA donated administrative supports, facility and recreational resources and vehicles so this valuable service could continue. Legally unable to use the Camp Hope name, the campers selected Camp Bright Star as their new name.
Based out of Cumberland YMCA’s Riverside Recreational Complex young campers with a wide variety of abilities and limitations enjoy three weeks of summer fun designed specifically for them. With a low staff to child ratio and the services of a licensed nurse, highly trained teachers, aides and volunteers, many of whom work with the children in their schools, use YMCA buses to transport these special children from their homes to the Y, provide the children with a snack, spend the morning enjoying activities available at the Y, eat lunch, then embark on an afternoon of exploration of sights and experiences in the community before the exhausted children are delivered back to their homes late in the afternoon.