Champaign Resources
The Center for Courageous Kids Summer Camps and Family Retreats
The Center for Courageous Kids (CKC) offers free family retreat weekends and overnight summer camp sessions for youth ages 5 to 17 with complex medical conditions and disabilities. CKC welcomes children with a wide range of conditions, including heart/cardiovascular disease, blood disorders, sickle cell disease, spina bifida, and more. The camp provides 24-hour medical coverage, an on-site medical center, and program and medical staff with training and experience in all aspects of medical camping.
The Center for Courageous Kids is open to youth ages 5 to 17 diagnosed with one of the illnesses/conditions it serves and immediate family members. To learn more about the camp, you can also:
Flying Horse Farms Camp for Families and Children with Serious Illnesses
Flying Horse Farms (FHF) is a free medical specialty camp for children and young adults ages 7 to 21 with complex medical conditions and their families. Located in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, FHF offers fun, transformative overnight and family camping experiences to campers across the United States. Camps are available for children and young adults with diagnoses and conditions that include:
- Heart and lung conditions
- Rheumatologic diagnoses
- Craniofacial diagnoses
- Blood disorders
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Spinal cord diagnoses
- Mental health conditions
There is no cost to attend camp sessions. Lodging and meals are also provided.
Miracle League of Central Illinois
The Miracle League of Central Illinois is a league for children and adults with disabilities that enables them to play baseball on a specially designed adaptive field. The Miracle League of Central Illinois and the town of Normal, Ill., partner to provide this program to a wide range of participants. Scholarships are available to help youth of all abilities participate.
Visit the Miracle League of Central Illinois website to learn more.
The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University
The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University is a federally funded center providing elementary and secondary education programs for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The Clerc Center Online Community provides best-practice videos, research, toolkits and resources for families of deaf and hard-of-hearing children and the professionals who work with them.
Clerc Center resources include:
- The Language First Parent Guide, a step-by-step roadmap for parents with children who are deaf and hard of hearing
- Family-focused activities such as American Sign Language (ASL) classes, bilingual storybooks and more
Camp Erin Grief Support Online
Eluna’s Camp Erin Online provides an intentional space for children and their families to connect, find support and remember the people in their lives who have died. Camp Erin Online focuses on helping families find meaningful support as they move through grief using creative outlets such as:
- Painting
- Music
- Mindfulness
- Movement
- Photography
To attend Camp Erin Online events and programs, fill out an application online.
Siblings with a Mission is an international organization that supports siblings and families of individuals with complex health conditions and developmental disabilities. The organization serves both siblings and sibling supporters (parents, grandparents, friends, healthcare providers, professionals, etc.) of all ages and backgrounds. It provides:
- Sibling support groups focused on a specific diagnosis or disability
- SibSpot, a place where siblings and sibling supporters can read stories about sibling heroes and meet other siblings from around the world
- Resource lists and more
Western Avenue Community Center in Bloomington
Western Avenue Community Center (WACC) offers programs for youth and seniors, interpretation and translation services, and a food program. WACC programs are open to anyone in the community. Its programs include:
- Interpretation and translation services in French and Spanish for medical, legal, educational and other general documents
- Mentoring and after-school programs
- Adult education and GED classes
- The Mamás Hogareñas Group to educate and support all moms in the community
- Food program for the Bloomington-Normal community
- Fitness programs
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Resources
This tip sheet from the Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) aims to help guide parents and caregivers through the steps to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA). It links to several websites and provides general guidelines.
Please note information may change, so be sure to go directly to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s (IDPH) website to verify information remains accurate and up to date.
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)’s Resiliency Toolkit is a collection of resources designed to foster safe and healthy school climates. In response to the growing mental health challenges that Illinois youth face, this toolkit offers developmentally appropriate tools to help students, parents, caregivers and school personnel build the resilience necessary to thrive.
ISBE’s Resiliency Toolkit topics include:
- Mental health
- Discrimination and harassment
- Preventing and addressing bullying
- Substance use prevention and more
Cook For Love is a nonprofit organization providing support, resources and education to individuals, families and clinicians managing phenylketonuria (PKU). The site empowers members of the metabolic disorders community to improve their health through cooking and education.
Cook for Love’s website includes:
- Recipes for creating low-protein foods
- Information about low-protein products to keep in your pantry
- Step-by-step instructions
- Videos for making meals and treats