RADNOR, Pa. (CBS) – A special summer camp on the grounds of the now-closed Cabrini University is celebrating 20 years of change in the lives of young people. Camp PALS pairs groups of peers with and without Down syndrome to promote inclusion and understanding.
The nonprofit camp experience now operates in 10 different locations across the U.S., but started in the Delaware Valley. Jenni Newbury Ross started the camp in 2004, at age 16, as a way to connect with her brother Jason, who has Down syndrome.
“When I was first approached with the idea of starting PALS, we were just a few teenagers,” Newbury Ross said. “I really didn’t have the opportunity, a place where my brother and I could go together. It felt like things in our lives were often for him or for me. PALS was the first place that was for both of us.”
The camp started with 16 siblings, including Newbury Ross and her brother. Twenty years later, the camp serves 1,200 campers across 10 different U.S. locations.
“This was the first place I met other siblings, this was the first place I could really help other people understand Jason’s worth and see him for who he was,” she said. “That one-on-one pairing really exemplified the brother-sister relationship I had growing up.”
Rebecca Knight, who has Down syndrome, has been attending the camp for ten years. She said she encourages other people to come to PALS.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Knight said. “It’s a good experience for them and they meet new people.”
Knight, who is 28, was paired with Alie Fehl, a 22-year-old graduate student at New Hampshire University. Fehl had never met anyone with Down syndrome until now.
“Everyone will be different and unique in their own way,” she said. “It just helps you be more aware and just more comfortable knowing how to communicate.”
PALS is hosting a special 20th anniversary celebration at the Dixon Center on the Cabrini University campus. It starts Friday at 7pm and tickets are $50 per person. You can get tickets at the door.
