Camp Kamassa – Mississippi’s Toughest Kids Foundation

CREATING A BETTER FUTURE

A Camp designed for Children & Adults living with Chronic Illness and Special Needs.

Get to know about us

WHAT DOES "KAMASSA" MEAN?

The camp is located in Copiah County, Mississippi. "Copiah" is a Choctaw word that means, "Calling Panther." With this in mind, we contacted the Choctaws in north MS and asked for a word that would best represent the remarkable children and adults we aim to serve. "Kamassa" (pronounced Kuh-MAH-suh) is the word that was given, meaning "toughness; to persevere under difficulties and not give up." We believe this is the perfect name for this camp!

Camp Kamassa

– Mississippi’s Toughest Kids Foundation

CREATING A BETTER FUTURE

A Camp designed for Children & Adults living with Chronic Illness and Special Needs.

Get to know about us

WHAT DOES "KAMASSA" MEAN?

Camp Kamassa

– Mississippi’s Toughest Kids Foundation

Creating a Better Future for Children and Adults Living with Special Needs!

THE NEED

People of all ages who are affected by special needs have limited recreational opportunities in our state. There is no other year-round, barrier-free, fully accessible facility like Camp Kamassa in the state of Mississippi.

OUR VISION

Our desire is to provide a place where ALL campers will experience the fun, adventure, educational, and therapeutic benefits of traditional camping experiences regardless of their unique abilities.

OUR MISSION

We have set out to build and maintain Camp Kamassa, Mississippi’s first and only year-round, fully handicap-accessible camp facility for children and adults with chronic illness, physical and intellectual challenges, and other special needs.

Camp Kamassa aims to be a place of hope, acceptance, and endless possibilities for children and adults who courageously face many obstacles, such as:

The challenge of living in a world not set up for their unique abilities.
The desire to thrive rather than just survive.
A yearning to be seen for their abilities, rather than their disabilities.

We believe every individual should be seen with value, gifts to contribute, and opportunities to participate, learn, and grow.

Children and adults who visit Camp Kamassa will discover a place that affirms their belonging, purpose, and unique abilities.

Make level paths for your feet so that the lame may not be disabled but rather healed.” – Hebrews 12:13

Healed? How can a child be healed at camp?

Often, individuals with special needs come to camp carrying a lot of self-pity, bitterness, anger, sadness, or loneliness. Being part of a camp can increase confidence and independence. Campers develop friendships and build relationships both with other campers and with caring counselors. Spending several days with others who face the same challenges can truly encourage and promote healing. The many planned activities are great for needed exercise and encourage imagination, learning, and adventure. Campers often try out new things and achieve more than they ever thought they could. They come away changed, motivated, and inspired! So often, campers will say that camp is the best part of their year - something they look forward to with eagerness and excitement.

While it’s essential for a medical camp to have nurses and doctors available to attend to the campers’ medical requirements, it’s also important to note that these medical professionals engage in recreational activities at camp. This allows campers to not only receive medical care but also to form genuine connections with the same professionals in a relaxed environment. These relationships often endure beyond the camp experience.

FIND YOUR CAMP

This place is working hard to meet the needs of children that have special needs and truly have something special going on there!

Andrew LaFontaine

More foundations like this one need more national recognition.
The work they do for special needs children is a blessing. I encourage anyone who is in town to stop by the office & see the many projects soon to come.

Martin V.

So excited to have a special needs camp for our daughter as well as all families with special needs children.

Andy Lofton

Amazing staff, compassionately dedicated to their mission to
improve the development
of an amazing group of kids.
An absolute blessing to see an organization like this making strides to expand their capabilities!

Brad Frank

A dream that will make a difference "...this facility is a diamond in the rough.
You go by there, you see it, and you fall in love with it. It's nice to see a dream of individuals come together.
This is one of those dreams that will make a difference."

Congressman Bennie G. Thompson

KAMASSA UPDATES & NEWS

CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES

Exciting things are happening at Camp Kamassa! Our 3300-square-foot pool with zero entry is now in the ground and construction on the cafeteria and infirmary is underway. We are hard at work preparing for the future. Stay tuned for what’s next!

PREPARING FOR 2025

It’s official…we have a Camp Director! We are excited to add Andrew Vincent to our team as this is a huge step in helping us open our camp NEXT YEAR! Learn more about Andrew and all that is coming together at Camp Kamassa.

How you can help

HAVE YOU HEARD? WE'RE OPENING IN 2025!

Our campus is nearing the point where we can begin hosting groups and events. We are SO EXCITED! With this preparation, there are many items needed to make the facility functional for our campers and guests. Please view our Wish List and consider how you might be able to offset some of these expenses for Camp Kamassa. We appreciate your support!