Dream Oaks Camp

Dream Oaks Camp is a program of Foundation for Dreams that serves children with special needs and chronic illnesses. The camp includes seven cabins that are barrier-free and inclusive to meet the needs of any child with special needs. Foundation for Dreams, through the Dream Oaks Camp program, strives to create a place where children can recognize one another as individuals, not by their disabilities.

• Ages: 7–17 years old
• Schedule: Business hours Monday–Friday from 8am–4pm

Foundation for Dreams is the only organization in Southwest Florida that provides year-round weekend and summer residential camp sessions for all children with varying ability levels and chronic and/or terminal medical conditions. Dream Oaks Camp provides services to more than 700 campers per year, with a 3:1 camper to counselor ratio or better. There are 136 wide-ranging diagnoses among campers, and 99% of children are meeting or progressing towards individual goals. According to reported outcomes, 100% of parents and caregivers benefited from extended respite.

While recuperating from a heart transplant surgery at Shands Hospital in 1995, Eddie Mulock was inspired to create the camp. In August of 2000, Foundation for Dreams partnered with the Southwest Florida Boy Scouts to build Dream Oaks Camp, and in 2001 they welcomed 56 summer campers for the first time. From the beginning, Foundation for Dreams has been supported by local and national businesses, corporations of all sizes, civic agencies, foundations, and direct public support.

One parent shared that Dream Oaks Camp allowed their child an independence she cannot get anywhere else, that she is able to make her own decisions, feels like the star of the show, and is making memories that will last a lifetime, and that the experience boosted her self-confidence and gave her empowerment, and she came back a “new and improved kid.”

Last updated February 14, 2026.