Easterseals Wisconsin Camp & Respite Services (Camp Wawbeek & Wisconsin Elks/Easterseals Wisconsin Respite Camp)
Easterseals Wisconsin Camp Wawbeek, 1450 Highway 13, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965
About
Easterseals Wisconsin Camp & Respite Services (Camp Wawbeek & Wisconsin Elks/Easterseals Wisconsin Respite Camp) offers activities such as arts and crafts, painting, archery, a climbing wall, nature programs, singing and dancing, games and recreation, basketball, hiking, and racing through obstacle courses. Campers also take part in swimming, canoeing, boating, pontoon boat rides, fishing, a zip line, a high ropes course, campfires, dances, field trips, and exploring attractions in Wisconsin Dells. Pioneer Camp includes hiking, cooking over an open fire, and sleeping out under the stars, with campers staying outside rather than in lodges.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: During the summer, six-day Youth and Teen sessions are available as well as six-day Adult, Young Adult, and Transition sessions.
Camp Wawbeek began providing services to children and adults with physical disabilities in 1938, and Easterseals Wisconsin has provided a variety of programs since 1926. Camp Wawbeek is the longest continuously operating Easterseals camp in the nation, and Easterseals Wisconsin is one of the oldest charitable organizations in the state. Both Camp Wawbeek and Respite Camp are accessible camps that share over 400 wooded acres, and everything is fully accessible at Camp Wawbeek. Wisconsin Elks/Easterseals Respite Camp operates year-round and is one of the only programs in Wisconsin that provides overnight, individualized respite care, and it accepts campers with severe and multiple disabilities who have been turned down by many other programs.
Camp Wawbeek serves children and adults age 7 and older, with Youth and Teen Sessions for ages 7–18 and a special 4-day holiday session between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Youth at Respite Camp are ages 3–18, and both camps offer young adult sessions for ages 15–25, including Transitions Camp for ages 15–25. Transitions Camp weekend sessions are held throughout the school year and summer at Camp Wawbeek for campers ages 15–25, and these activities are intentionally planned to learn something new while also having fun. Adult Sessions are for ages 18 and older, Older Adult Sessions are for ages 40 and older, Pioneer Camp is an outdoor camp for ages 18 and older, and Veterans Family Camp is for veterans and family only.
Camp Wawbeek has a registered nurse living on-site and one counselor for every two to three campers. Goal group ratios are listed as 1:3 or 2:7 at Camp Wawbeek and 2:3 or 2:4 at Respite Camp. Counselors are trained to meet the individual needs of each camper, including assisting with personal care or providing emotional and social support. Campers in Pioneer Camp must be aware that they will not be staying in the lodges, but camping outside.
The mission of Easterseals Wisconsin is to increase independence, maximize opportunities, minimize barriers, and enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities. Campers with disabilities are free to be themselves and valued for it in an accessible, inclusive, and fun environment, and campers of all ages and abilities can challenge themselves, set goals, and accomplish them. Families and caregivers receive respite while campers attend. Veterans Family Camp is held twice a year and is free to veterans and their families, and the FARM Program serves as a model for similar programs nationwide by helping farmers return to farming after a disabling accident or illness.
Easterseals Wisconsin Camps are led by Easterseals Wisconsin President & CEO Christine Fessler. One testimonial notes that AmeriCorps members and camp counselors who volunteer for the veterans camp weekends are trained to care for children with disabilities, which allows parents to participate in activities such as the adults’ dinner and Quilts of Valor ceremony while knowing their child is in capable hands.
Last updated July 27, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: During the summer, six-day Youth and Teen sessions are available as well as six-day Adult, Young Adult, and Transition sessions.
Camp Wawbeek began providing services to children and adults with physical disabilities in 1938, and Easterseals Wisconsin has provided a variety of programs since 1926. Camp Wawbeek is the longest continuously operating Easterseals camp in the nation, and Easterseals Wisconsin is one of the oldest charitable organizations in the state. Both Camp Wawbeek and Respite Camp are accessible camps that share over 400 wooded acres, and everything is fully accessible at Camp Wawbeek. Wisconsin Elks/Easterseals Respite Camp operates year-round and is one of the only programs in Wisconsin that provides overnight, individualized respite care, and it accepts campers with severe and multiple disabilities who have been turned down by many other programs.
Camp Wawbeek serves children and adults age 7 and older, with Youth and Teen Sessions for ages 7–18 and a special 4-day holiday session between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Youth at Respite Camp are ages 3–18, and both camps offer young adult sessions for ages 15–25, including Transitions Camp for ages 15–25. Transitions Camp weekend sessions are held throughout the school year and summer at Camp Wawbeek for campers ages 15–25, and these activities are intentionally planned to learn something new while also having fun. Adult Sessions are for ages 18 and older, Older Adult Sessions are for ages 40 and older, Pioneer Camp is an outdoor camp for ages 18 and older, and Veterans Family Camp is for veterans and family only.
Camp Wawbeek has a registered nurse living on-site and one counselor for every two to three campers. Goal group ratios are listed as 1:3 or 2:7 at Camp Wawbeek and 2:3 or 2:4 at Respite Camp. Counselors are trained to meet the individual needs of each camper, including assisting with personal care or providing emotional and social support. Campers in Pioneer Camp must be aware that they will not be staying in the lodges, but camping outside.
The mission of Easterseals Wisconsin is to increase independence, maximize opportunities, minimize barriers, and enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities. Campers with disabilities are free to be themselves and valued for it in an accessible, inclusive, and fun environment, and campers of all ages and abilities can challenge themselves, set goals, and accomplish them. Families and caregivers receive respite while campers attend. Veterans Family Camp is held twice a year and is free to veterans and their families, and the FARM Program serves as a model for similar programs nationwide by helping farmers return to farming after a disabling accident or illness.
Easterseals Wisconsin Camps are led by Easterseals Wisconsin President & CEO Christine Fessler. One testimonial notes that AmeriCorps members and camp counselors who volunteer for the veterans camp weekends are trained to care for children with disabilities, which allows parents to participate in activities such as the adults’ dinner and Quilts of Valor ceremony while knowing their child is in capable hands.
Last updated July 27, 2026.
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