Camp Cheerful

“Going to Camp Cheerful is like taking a vacation from my disability!”

Jeff, A Camp Cheerful Camper

Camp Cheerful, founded in 1947, is located on 52 beautifully wooded acres in the Mill Stream Run Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks in Strongsville, Ohio.  Campers participate in traditional summer camp activities, including hiking, swimming, fishing, canoeing, arts & crafts, nature study, games, campfire activities, and music and sports, in a safe and barrier-free environment.

But the Camp experience is far more than simply “recreational” for children and adults with disabilities. Camp Cheerful provides an important educational and socialization outlet for campers– one that is not often available to them, especially those with severe or multiple disabilities.  Camp Cheerful allows campers to enjoy many wonderful experiences with other children who are facing many similar challenges and obstacles to daily living and gives them an invaluable opportunity to interact with other children and adults beyond the context of their family.  In fact, for many campers, their day experience or overnight camp at Camp Cheerful is often the first extended period of time they have spent away from their own family.  In addition, our camp programs provide much-needed respite time for families and caregivers who know that their children are safe and secure, receiving the attention and care they need, while having the time of their lives at camp.

A year-round facility, the Achievement Centers’ Camp Cheerful offers several fun and rewarding programs including:

• Summer Overnight Camp – a 5-night, overnight camp for individuals 7 years and older. Seven sessions are offered each summer;

• Cheerful Day Camp – a day camp program for school age children 5 years and older with and without special needs;

• Weekend Respite Camp – offered one weekend each month, from September through April, campers age 7 years and older.  Campers stay in heated cabins and enjoy specially themed weekends of fun;

• River Rock Adult Day Program – a year-round program developed for adults 18 or older with disabilities.  River Rock provides a diverse array of activities that are designed to increase social interaction and skill building, while also assisting families with their overwhelming responsibilities of 24-hour care;

• Therapeutic Horsemanship -  utilizing our gentle horses with riding sessions based on the riders physical, cognitive and emotional abilities.