Camp Big Heart
Camp John Hope FFA-FCCLA Center, 281 Hope Entrance Rd, Fort Valley, GA 31030
About
Camp Big Heart offers overnight camp sessions that include arts & crafts, music, swimming, adaptive sports, theater, science, talent shows, and dances. Campers take part in structured, accessible activities that are planned for different abilities and are built around adaptive activities, trained staff, and onsite medical professionals.
• Ages: 12–18 years old
• Schedule: Two one-week overnight sessions in 2026 (Week One: June 7–12; Week Two: June 14–19), with check-in on Sunday from 2–4 PM and check-out on Friday from 8–9 AM
Camp Big Heart is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has operated since 1984 and has served children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities for nearly 40 years. The mission of Camp Big Heart is to provide the highest quality summer recreational camp experience for Georgia’s children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and to provide a safe, inclusive, and enriching summer camp experience for children and adults with special needs. Camp Big Heart welcomes campers ages 12–60 for a full overnight camp experience and serves approximately 115 campers per week across two one-week sessions. Camp Big Heart serves individuals who often fall between the cracks of other medical and special-needs camping programs, and campers are ambulatory and bathroom independent and able to attend to their own personal needs with supervision and minimal assistance.
Care at Camp Big Heart is provided by experienced professionals in special education, therapeutic services, social services, and healthcare, along with dedicated volunteers. Staff and volunteers include caring professionals with years of experience in special education, therapeutic services, and social services, as well as college students and young professionals studying education, therapy, nursing, and related fields. Every session includes trained staff and an onsite medical team, with multiple registered nurses on duty. During camp sessions, there are always registered nurses on site to manage medications and health needs, provide first aid and respond to emergencies, and communicate with families and caregivers when needed.
Camp Big Heart is proudly accredited by the American Camp Association and meets ACA standards for health, safety, and program quality. Camp Big Heart is supported by Civitan Clubs of Georgia, a community-minded service organization that helped launch and grow the camp as a dedicated program for campers with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For decades, Civitan volunteers and clubs across Georgia have raised funds to keep camp fees as low as possible, supported camp planning, fundraising, and board leadership, and volunteered their time and talents so more campers can attend. Camp Big Heart describes itself as a camp with a big heart powered by even bigger hearts, where children and adults with special needs experience a week of pure joy, dances, lake days, talent shows, and friendships that last a lifetime.
One parent shared that “Camp Big Heart has been life-changing” for their daughter on the autism spectrum and that she gained tools for taking trips, independence, and self-confidence, and looked forward to adding camp to her visual calendar for the next year. A long-time staff member described Camp Big Heart as the place that first showed them a passion for working with individuals in the special needs community and gave them chances to advocate for inclusivity and create memories and experiences they will cherish. A camper named Logan said, “I just love being here at Camp Big Heart, I feel like I’m at home, this is my form of respite.”
Last updated April 22, 2026.
• Ages: 12–18 years old
• Schedule: Two one-week overnight sessions in 2026 (Week One: June 7–12; Week Two: June 14–19), with check-in on Sunday from 2–4 PM and check-out on Friday from 8–9 AM
Camp Big Heart is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has operated since 1984 and has served children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities for nearly 40 years. The mission of Camp Big Heart is to provide the highest quality summer recreational camp experience for Georgia’s children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and to provide a safe, inclusive, and enriching summer camp experience for children and adults with special needs. Camp Big Heart welcomes campers ages 12–60 for a full overnight camp experience and serves approximately 115 campers per week across two one-week sessions. Camp Big Heart serves individuals who often fall between the cracks of other medical and special-needs camping programs, and campers are ambulatory and bathroom independent and able to attend to their own personal needs with supervision and minimal assistance.
Care at Camp Big Heart is provided by experienced professionals in special education, therapeutic services, social services, and healthcare, along with dedicated volunteers. Staff and volunteers include caring professionals with years of experience in special education, therapeutic services, and social services, as well as college students and young professionals studying education, therapy, nursing, and related fields. Every session includes trained staff and an onsite medical team, with multiple registered nurses on duty. During camp sessions, there are always registered nurses on site to manage medications and health needs, provide first aid and respond to emergencies, and communicate with families and caregivers when needed.
Camp Big Heart is proudly accredited by the American Camp Association and meets ACA standards for health, safety, and program quality. Camp Big Heart is supported by Civitan Clubs of Georgia, a community-minded service organization that helped launch and grow the camp as a dedicated program for campers with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For decades, Civitan volunteers and clubs across Georgia have raised funds to keep camp fees as low as possible, supported camp planning, fundraising, and board leadership, and volunteered their time and talents so more campers can attend. Camp Big Heart describes itself as a camp with a big heart powered by even bigger hearts, where children and adults with special needs experience a week of pure joy, dances, lake days, talent shows, and friendships that last a lifetime.
One parent shared that “Camp Big Heart has been life-changing” for their daughter on the autism spectrum and that she gained tools for taking trips, independence, and self-confidence, and looked forward to adding camp to her visual calendar for the next year. A long-time staff member described Camp Big Heart as the place that first showed them a passion for working with individuals in the special needs community and gave them chances to advocate for inclusivity and create memories and experiences they will cherish. A camper named Logan said, “I just love being here at Camp Big Heart, I feel like I’m at home, this is my form of respite.”
Last updated April 22, 2026.
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