“Camp Wamp” Finds New Home on Former Girl Scouts Property in Tahoe National Forest
SODA SPRINGS, Calif. (PRWEB) August 04, 2017 -- The Stephen J. Wampler Foundation today has officially moved “Camp Wamp” into a new home in Tahoe National Forest near Lake Tahoe, Calif. The campsite was previously home to the Girl Scouts of Northern California and the sale of the property was completed in late July 2017. The Wampler Foundation is currently soliciting volunteers and contractors to help with retrofitting and upgrading the property to make it suitable to serve campers with physical disabilities beginning in the summer of 2018. Work will continue until early fall 2017 and resume in the spring of 2018. A full list of needs and opportunities are available on the Wampler Foundation Facebook page and website.
The newly acquired 129-acre property provides access to hundreds of trails and three lakes for swimming, fishing, kayaking and more. When all updates are completed, Camp Wamp will be able to welcome up to 100 kids with conditions such as Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, amputees and spinal cord injuries. The Wampler Foundation and Camp Wamp are supported by ESET, Chevron, GoPro and numerous private donors.
Stephen Wampler, founder of the Wampler Foundation and Camp Wamp, has been afflicted by cerebral palsy since birth and uses an electric wheelchair for mobility on a daily basis; he has no use of his legs and only minimal use of one his arms. He founded Camp Wamp to provide kids the same access to outdoor wilderness adventure experiences he had as a child.
“The kids we welcome to Camp Wamp are among the most brilliant minds you can find amongst young people anywhere—they are just like any other child except they have some sort of physical limitation,” said Wampler. “Our new campsite will allow us the opportunity to host more weeks of camp and more campers for decades to come.”
The new camp is the latest endeavor for the Wampler Foundation to inspire the world. In September 2010, Steve took on what is widely considered one of the greatest challenges in rock climbing—even for an able bodied climber—and summited El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Due to his disability, Steve utilized a specially designed climbing chair and a pulley system to tackle the vertical rock face that is twice the height of the Empire State Building. With each tug on a pull up bar, Steve lifted himself two to six inches. Steve suffered greatly for six days and five nights from extreme temperatures, seizures, hallucinations, severe dehydration and periods of unconsciousness, alongside gross mental and physical fatigue. In 2013, a documentary titled, “Wampler’s Ascent,” was released detailing the climb and the incredible love story between Steve and his filmmaker wife, Elizabeth. The film has a 100 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a rating of 8.2 on IMDb.
For corporate sponsorship of the new camp or the Wampler Foundation, please contact info(at)wamplerfoundation(dot)org. The Wampler Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3).
About The Wampler Foundation
Founded in 2000, The Wampler Foundation provides outdoor recreation programs for children with physical disabilities, such as Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy and Spina Bifida, at no cost to their families. To find out more about The Wampler Foundation, and to make a donation, please visit http://www.wamplerfoundation.org/.
Andrea Vuturo, Wampler Foundation, http://www.wamplerfoundation.org, +1 8477722205, [email protected]
Share this article