Nurturing my inner child at Camp No Limits Illinois 

4th July 2024

Last weekend, Trace Wilson had the pleasure of volunteering at Camp No Limits in Lake Forest, Illinois. Here’s what he made of it.

Growing up with a limb difference before the age of social media and countless ways to connect, I never had an opportunity to attend a camp full of other campers who looked just like me. In fact, I didn’t meet anyone else with a limb difference until I was 21. Every time I attend a camp as a counselor or volunteer, I am simply overjoyed for every kid in attendance. 

With everything from the gym and pool, to the excellent cafeteria, to a full ice rink, there was no shortage of awesome ways to enjoy our time at camp!

I watched limb-different kids and teens play seated volleyball and sled hockey. I threw myself into a variety of arts & craft projects, learned valuable new skills in occupational and physical therapy sessions, and made awesome new friends in peer support groups. Most importantly, I watched as the campers and their families made new friends, expressed themselves, and embraced their limb differences in ways that took me decades to learn. I could feel my inner child beaming. 

The camp was hosted by Lake Forest Academy in Illinois, and their sprawling campus was absolutely perfect for a summer camp! With everything from the gym and pool, to the excellent cafeteria, to a full ice rink, there was no shortage of awesome ways to enjoy our time at camp! And Camp No Limits certainly had no shortage of activities planned; my personal favorite was morning “energizers”, where we moved from line dancing into stretching and pilates led by the physical therapists in attendance!

I left camp with quite a few new activities to add to my workout routine, and I’m sure the campers and their families did as well. For many, that’s what camp is all about! Not just making new friends, but finding new resources and skills that you can continue long after camp is over.

This year, Camp No Limits is celebrating their 20th anniversary. In meeting and speaking with my fellow volunteers and camp mentors, you can feel how much of an impact the community makes. Some of the mentors and families have attended Camp No Limits for 15-20 years – first as campers, then as volunteers. This camp has truly fostered an incredible community, including many families and volunteers who are more than eager to follow and join the 12 CNL camps across the country each year. 

I also took my trusty Hero Arm to camp which came in handy during arts and crafts activities. Quite a few people were curious to see how the technology worked so I also passed it around for kids to play with it.

If you have a chance to attend Camp No Limits, I can’t recommend the experience enough, and I might just see you there!