Camp Kamassa Opens as Mississippi’s First Fully Accessible Camp for Children with Special Needs

Photo from Camp Kamassa

What began as a dream to create a safe, inclusive space for Mississippi’s most resilient children has finally become a reality. Camp Kamassa, located in Crystal Springs, is officially open — offering children with special needs a place to laugh, connect, and experience the joy of camp life.

The camp is the brainchild of Mary Kitchens, who, years ago, recognized the lack of recreational opportunities available to children with disabilities in Mississippi. Determined to fill that gap, Kitchens launched a nonprofit organization in 2008 and began laying the groundwork for what would become Camp Kamassa. In 2013, 326 acres of land were acquired in Copiah County, and through a unique partnership with the U.S. military, construction began on the state’s first fully accessible camp of its kind.

On April 5, Camp Kamassa officially celebrated its grand opening, marking a major milestone for the state’s special needs community. Unlike traditional campgrounds, every detail of Camp Kamassa was intentionally designed to accommodate children with a wide range of physical, developmental, and medical challenges.

“This campus has been thought through. It’s consolidated. It’s flat. It has wide sidewalks,” said Camp Director Andrew Vincent. “The cabins have extra space inside just to be able to maneuver. All of the bathrooms are handicap accessible. Every facility we have is handicap accessible.”

Camp Kamassa goes even further by addressing the medical needs of children with chronic illnesses. The campus includes a state-of-the-art infirmary, staffed with trained medical professionals who can administer on-site treatments.

“For our campers who live with a chronic illness, they will have the ability to have their treatments done at the camp and not have to go back to the children’s hospital or a clinic,” Vincent explained. “With the medical teams that will be there with the campers, they can actually have dialysis done. They can have chemo treatments done right there at Camp Kamassa.”

The camp will welcome its first group of campers in mid-May, opening its doors to a future where all children — regardless of their needs — have a place to play, grow, and belong.

For more information and a schedule of upcoming events, visit https://campkamassa.com/all-disabilities-special-needs/.