Camp PARC
Laurel Hill State Park Group Camp #8, 1454 Laurel Hill Park Rd, Somerset, PA 15501
About
Camp PARC offers an overnight summer camp experience that includes activities such as swimming in a lake, making s’mores, sack races, tug of war, and a hobo hike. The program is built around an annual theme and includes a Big Night Program where the public is invited to see campers and counselors perform a show created around that theme.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: 2026 sessions include an Adult Mini Session (July 7–10), a Youth Mini Session (July 12–15), Adult Session A (July 19–24), and Adult Session B (July 26–31)
Camp PARC (People Always Responding with Compassion) is an all-volunteer-powered nonprofit that provides an overnight summer camp and year-round recreational and social opportunities for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their neurotypical peers. The program is built around one-to-one support between campers and volunteers and is organized around four key groups: campers, youth staff, camper families and caregivers, and community volunteers. Camp PARC describes its mission as bringing together individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the volunteers who serve them to create moments that inspire and empower. The organization is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is funded through donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations, along with camper tuition.
Camp PARC was founded in 1960 and has been serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and offering volunteer opportunities since that time. In 1964, Reverend Robert Callihan became Camp Director and served in that role for 15 years. Theodore and Judy Risch began volunteering at Camp PARC as junior-high school students in 1966, were named Camp Directors in 1980, and remain in that position, overseeing camp operations. Reverend Richard McDaniel and Reverend Robert Callihan are noted as former camp directors, and Theodore and Judy Risch celebrated 50 years of volunteer service to Camp PARC in 2015. In 2007, Camp PARC dissolved its association with The Arc and incorporated as its own entity, and a pavilion is slated to be constructed in the spring of 2024 due to Covid-19 delays.
Camp PARC describes itself as a premier family-oriented summer camp experience for the mentally disabled community, with an emphasis on friendship as a consistent hallmark since 1960. The program is described as more than a camp, highlighting a community where people show up for each other, share the camp experience, and create friendships that last beyond the summer. Community volunteers contribute time and talents during camp sessions and year-round events, and the organization notes that its opportunities encourage fun, social interaction, and friendship among participants while creating respite for parents and caregivers.
Last updated July 11, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: 2026 sessions include an Adult Mini Session (July 7–10), a Youth Mini Session (July 12–15), Adult Session A (July 19–24), and Adult Session B (July 26–31)
Camp PARC (People Always Responding with Compassion) is an all-volunteer-powered nonprofit that provides an overnight summer camp and year-round recreational and social opportunities for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their neurotypical peers. The program is built around one-to-one support between campers and volunteers and is organized around four key groups: campers, youth staff, camper families and caregivers, and community volunteers. Camp PARC describes its mission as bringing together individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the volunteers who serve them to create moments that inspire and empower. The organization is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is funded through donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations, along with camper tuition.
Camp PARC was founded in 1960 and has been serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and offering volunteer opportunities since that time. In 1964, Reverend Robert Callihan became Camp Director and served in that role for 15 years. Theodore and Judy Risch began volunteering at Camp PARC as junior-high school students in 1966, were named Camp Directors in 1980, and remain in that position, overseeing camp operations. Reverend Richard McDaniel and Reverend Robert Callihan are noted as former camp directors, and Theodore and Judy Risch celebrated 50 years of volunteer service to Camp PARC in 2015. In 2007, Camp PARC dissolved its association with The Arc and incorporated as its own entity, and a pavilion is slated to be constructed in the spring of 2024 due to Covid-19 delays.
Camp PARC describes itself as a premier family-oriented summer camp experience for the mentally disabled community, with an emphasis on friendship as a consistent hallmark since 1960. The program is described as more than a camp, highlighting a community where people show up for each other, share the camp experience, and create friendships that last beyond the summer. Community volunteers contribute time and talents during camp sessions and year-round events, and the organization notes that its opportunities encourage fun, social interaction, and friendship among participants while creating respite for parents and caregivers.
Last updated July 11, 2026.
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