Chauncey Ranch YMCA Camp in Mayer, Arizona

Sunday, June 10th – Saturday, June 16th, 2012

Children who have epilepsy or seizure disorders are often ridiculed and tend to have low self esteem. Camp Candlelight is one week of summer camp activities that allow campers the opportunity to have fun, free from judgment, while developing a sense of self-worth, independence and personal responsibility.

Camp Candlelight features activities such as rock climbing, zip-lining, making S’mores around the campfire, horseback riding, arts and crafts and nature hikes. More important than the activities, Camp Candlelight is an opportunity to bond with other children who experience the seizure disorder.

Children ages 8 to 15 with a primary (or secondary) diagnosis of epilepsy, are eligible to attend Camp Candlelight. The Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona and our generous supporters have committed that no child will be denied a summer camp experience due to financial limitations, full and partial scholarships are available for those who qualify.

While epilepsy may be equal in prevalence to cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease combined, it is one of the most historically underfunded and misunderstood disorders known. Epilepsy can carry with it a host of psychological and social problems – depression, rejection, anger, frustration – that for most children are more difficult than the disorder itself. Some children manage with drugs, some will grow out of it, but for almost thirty percent of individuals with epilepsy, seizures are a part of their everyday lives.