Extra Special People (ESP) Experiences
Camp Twin Lakes, 189 VFW Drive, Watkinsville, GA 30677
About
Extra Special People (ESP) Experiences offers a wide range of activities, including Afternoon Programs, Day Camp, Club Events, Overnight Camp, Early Childcare Music Therapy, Music Therapy, Miracle League, Member+ Online Programs, Summer Camp, Community Events, and Java Joy. Participants take part in watersliding, canoeing, archery, zip-lining, fishing, arts and crafts, baseball, music-based activities, movement, group games, creative projects, sports and play opportunities, and family dinners.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
• Schedule: Weekly Friday gatherings from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm for Early Childcare Music Therapy / ESPlay Athens 0–4, daily afternoon programs during the Fall and Spring, eight weeks of Summer Camp in June and July, and a full week of Overnight Camp.
• Price: Financial assistance is available, and no family is ever turned away due to inability to pay; no one is ever turned away regardless of disability, age, or ability to pay, and the program is open to all families regardless of financial circumstances.
ESP Overnight Camp includes overnight support from trained staff, with registered nurses on-site, and all meals are provided with dietary needs thoughtfully accommodated. ESP Day Camp is led by trained staff and supported by a 2:1 Member-to-Buddy ratio, and Club Events and Early Childcare Music Therapy are led by trained staff, with Early Childcare Music Therapy grounded in music therapy principles. Two dedicated Overnight Camp sessions are offered, one for Members 21 and under and one for Members 22 and over.
Extra Special People (ESP) began with a single summer camp in 1986 and later added its first dedicated facility in 1991, expanded leadership in 2006, launched year-round ESP 360 experiences in 2012, and added Java Joy and major facility expansions in 2016. ESP later announced a Miracle League facility in 2018, launched programs in the Atlanta area and Rome, Georgia in 2020, opened the Miracle League Complex in 2022, and in 2026 marks 40 years while expanding beyond Georgia to the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina and beginning work on the future Camp Hooray property. ESP serves families across Georgia and the Triad region of North Carolina through community-based programs for people with disabilities, family support resources, and engagement opportunities regardless of age, disability, or financial ability, and ESP Miracle League Playground is a universally accessible playground open to the broader community. Java Joy provides meaningful employment for people with disabilities through statewide coffee carts and on-site service trailers.
The ESP leadership team includes roles such as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Director of People, Director of Purpose, Director of Programs, Director of Development, Interim Director of Marketing, Director of Operational Excellence, and multiple coordinators and managers in areas like programs, development, donor relations, finance, marketing, Java Joy, volunteer strategy, continuous improvement, and special projects. ESP’s mission states that it creates year-round programs where people with disabilities build confidence, friendship, and independence within a community rooted in joyful hospitality, and that it exists to create transformative experiences for people with disabilities and their families, changing communities for the better by designing experiences that strengthen individuals, support families, and shape more connected, compassionate communities.
ESP serves families across multiple communities including Athens (based in Watkinsville), Metro Atlanta, Rome, Savannah, and High Point, and Member+ Online Programs extend ESP experiences beyond physical communities. Employment and skill-building pathways such as Java Joy and SEEABILITY are part of the program. Testimonials from parents describe ESP as “like a family” where “everyone is rooting for our son,” say that a child “is so celebrated there,” and describe the experience as “life changing” for their kid.
Last updated July 30, 2026.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
• Schedule: Weekly Friday gatherings from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm for Early Childcare Music Therapy / ESPlay Athens 0–4, daily afternoon programs during the Fall and Spring, eight weeks of Summer Camp in June and July, and a full week of Overnight Camp.
• Price: Financial assistance is available, and no family is ever turned away due to inability to pay; no one is ever turned away regardless of disability, age, or ability to pay, and the program is open to all families regardless of financial circumstances.
ESP Overnight Camp includes overnight support from trained staff, with registered nurses on-site, and all meals are provided with dietary needs thoughtfully accommodated. ESP Day Camp is led by trained staff and supported by a 2:1 Member-to-Buddy ratio, and Club Events and Early Childcare Music Therapy are led by trained staff, with Early Childcare Music Therapy grounded in music therapy principles. Two dedicated Overnight Camp sessions are offered, one for Members 21 and under and one for Members 22 and over.
Extra Special People (ESP) began with a single summer camp in 1986 and later added its first dedicated facility in 1991, expanded leadership in 2006, launched year-round ESP 360 experiences in 2012, and added Java Joy and major facility expansions in 2016. ESP later announced a Miracle League facility in 2018, launched programs in the Atlanta area and Rome, Georgia in 2020, opened the Miracle League Complex in 2022, and in 2026 marks 40 years while expanding beyond Georgia to the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina and beginning work on the future Camp Hooray property. ESP serves families across Georgia and the Triad region of North Carolina through community-based programs for people with disabilities, family support resources, and engagement opportunities regardless of age, disability, or financial ability, and ESP Miracle League Playground is a universally accessible playground open to the broader community. Java Joy provides meaningful employment for people with disabilities through statewide coffee carts and on-site service trailers.
The ESP leadership team includes roles such as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Director of People, Director of Purpose, Director of Programs, Director of Development, Interim Director of Marketing, Director of Operational Excellence, and multiple coordinators and managers in areas like programs, development, donor relations, finance, marketing, Java Joy, volunteer strategy, continuous improvement, and special projects. ESP’s mission states that it creates year-round programs where people with disabilities build confidence, friendship, and independence within a community rooted in joyful hospitality, and that it exists to create transformative experiences for people with disabilities and their families, changing communities for the better by designing experiences that strengthen individuals, support families, and shape more connected, compassionate communities.
ESP serves families across multiple communities including Athens (based in Watkinsville), Metro Atlanta, Rome, Savannah, and High Point, and Member+ Online Programs extend ESP experiences beyond physical communities. Employment and skill-building pathways such as Java Joy and SEEABILITY are part of the program. Testimonials from parents describe ESP as “like a family” where “everyone is rooting for our son,” say that a child “is so celebrated there,” and describe the experience as “life changing” for their kid.
Last updated July 30, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.