Hope Heals Camp is a time of respite, resourcing, and relaxation for families affected by disabilities. We strive to holistically serve every member of a family unit, so we build our daily programming around the unique needs, abilities, and ages of every participant. Our volunteers make this big dream come to life!

Adult campers will enjoy times of worship, teaching, and small group discussion, while kids and teens experience a wide range of accessible fun in recreation, arts and crafts, music, and Scripture exploration. Kids age 3 and under will be cared for in the onsite nursery.

Afternoons are filled with more play for the kids and special gatherings for the men and women, plus a few hours dedicated to rest. At night we’ll celebrate together at some amazing parties, eat a lot of good food, and—most importantly—build lifelong friendships with other campers and volunteers.

While the events and activities are wonderful, the real magic of Camp happens as relationships form. Volunteers come to work and facilitate and serve, but your main job is to make a whole bunch of friends. As a volunteer, you will receive much more than you give—guaranteed.

Please note that volunteers are never responsible for the toileting or medical needs of campers.

Applications will be available here starting January 15, 2025 and will remain open until spots are full. Applicants pay an application fee per person ($50 per adult and $10 per youth) which does not count toward his or her Camp tuition. The adult application fee covers the cost of a background check. After submitting your application, you’ll receive background check instructions via email. Once we receive your background check report, we will review your entire application and let you know the next steps.

Please refer to the Camp Pricing section above for the current rates.

In order for every Hope Heals camper to attend camp at NO cost, our volunteers make a donation that covers their camp fees and partially contributes toward a camper’s costs. Upon completion of the application and acceptance to serve at Hope Heals Camp, each volunteer is equipped with online fundraising tools to help raise awareness and fund their donation. 

All applicants will pay an application fee to cover administrative costs. Application fees are $50 per adult (which also covers the cost of a background check) and $10 per youth. Please note that the application fee does not count toward the minimum donation.

Because Hope Heals Camp serves SO many types of amazing people, there are a ton of meaningful ways to contribute. Based on your preference and our needs, you may serve as…

Compassionate Companion (CC): You’ll be paired up with a person with a disability to act as a friend, encourager, and helper throughout the week. CCs may also be paired with a typically-abled child who is a sibling or child of a person with a disability. Typical family members often need as much love and attention as a person with disability.

• Flexer: The safeguarding of our campers is our top priority, which means Flexers have the most important role at Camp by helping us maintain our “Never Alone” policy throughout programming by flexing with campers and CCs when they want to move away from their assigned group.
• Activity Crew: You’ll help facilitate some of our kids and teen daily programming and special events. Rotations include music, recreation, arts and crafts, and more!
• Hospitality Crew: If you have a flair for hosting, decorating, or event planning, you can use your gifts to on the Hospitality Crew. You’ll facilitate special Camp celebrations and add touches that make our campers feel right at home.
• Medical Crew: If you’re a registered nurse, paramedic, or physician, you can keep our campers and volunteers happy and healthy by treating minor illnesses and injuries. Medical Crew is not responsible for medical or toileting needs of campers with disability.
• Logistics Crew: Simply put, you’ll get stuff done around Hope Heals Camp. Set up and take down of special events, refilling water jugs, golf cart transportation for campers with mobility issues—if a job needs doing, our Logistics Crew makes it happen.
• Nursery Crew: This team of childcare workers will spend morning and afternoon rotations with disabled and typically-abled campers ages 0 to 3 in a loosely structured time of play. Nursery Crew will also act as babysitters so parents can enjoy nighttime activities after little ones go to bed.
• Pastoral Crew: This intimate team of lay people (although actual pastors are welcome!) will act as table hosts during our adult camper worship gatherings. You’ll also meet throughout the day to intercede for the needs of our camp community. 
• Personal Care Crew: This team provides assistance with ADLs (Activities for Daily Living) for campers and volunteers while at camp who opt in for this service. They exist so that all campers, camper families, and volunteers can get the most out of the camp experience.

No special certifications or experience are required to serve at Hope Heals Camp. You just need a willingness to learn, adapt, and serve with the love, integrity, and humility of Jesus. All volunteer applicants must complete a background check to ensure the safest environment for our campers.

Here’s who is eligible to serve at Camp:

• Entire families can attend and serve together with at least one parent or guardian and kids age 8 and older
• Individuals over 18 can attend and serve solo
• Youth between 12 and 17 can attend and serve accompanied by a chaperone over age 25

Kids who will be 8 or older during Camp are welcome to attend, and we ask that kids under age 8 stay home with friends or grandparents. If you attend Camp with a volunteer kid under age 8, you will be responsible for providing a one-on-one caregiver who will accompany your child during daily programming at Camp (e.g. a parent, grandparent, older teen sibling, aunt, etc). This caregiver will not receive another serving role at Camp and will pay full tuition to attend.

In light of the medical fragility of our campers and inherent logistical complications of our demographic, volunteers over 14 are the best fit for Hope Heals Camp.

We LOVE when families serve together, but have found that our campers are best served when there is a critical mass of adult and teen volunteers. Our limited volunteers and resources must be allocated to our campers in the way that serves them first and best. 

Kids who will be 8 or older during Camp are welcome to attend, and we ask that kids under age 8 stay home with friends or grandparents. If you attend Camp with a volunteer kid under age 8, you will be responsible for providing a one-on-one caregiver who will accompany your child during daily programming at Camp (e.g. a parent, grandparent, older teen sibling, aunt, etc). This caregiver will not receive another serving role at Camp and will pay full tuition to attend.

Volunteer kids between the ages of 8 and 11 will attend kids programming as “Friend Makers” right alongside our Campers! They will spend the day in a small group of kids with plenty of adult supervision, so parents can rest easy as they serve in other areas! Volunteer kids 12 and older will be given age-appropriate serving responsibilities.

Please note that volunteers sleep in male and female cabins. If a parent brings a child of the opposite gender, the child should be mature enough to comfortably sleep in a different cabin than his or her parent.

If you have a special case and feel compelled to apply, feel free to contact us at camp@hopeheals.com.

All volunteers will receive digital training resources and helpful event onboarding in the months leading up to Camp. You are expected to read these emails and complete the online training so you can arrive prepared to serve.

Additionally, volunteers will arrive to Camp an entire day before our campers for a dedicated time of orientation, practical training, spiritual preparation, and team building.

For logistical efficiency and maximum safety for our campers, volunteers must commit to serving the entire week of Hope Heals Camp. Volunteers must arrive Sunday by 4PM and commit to staying until Friday at noon. We do not offer day volunteer positions at this time.

Absolutely! We would be honored for you to serve at multiple weeks of Hope Heals Camp. Multi-week volunteers even receive a discounted Camp tuition and are invited to stay at Camp during weekends between sessions.

Hope Heals Camp takes place at Camp McDowell, a beautiful, accessible retreat center in Alabama’s Bankhead National Forest. Volunteers will sleep in air-conditioned male or female cabins with bunkbeds and community bathrooms. Volunteers are responsible for their own linens (sheets, blankets, pillows, and towels).

The camp facility serves delicious food and is able to accommodate gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan diets. If you have further dietary needs, you can have access to a full kitchen, where you can prepare your own food.

Please note that the camp facilities are NOT able to accommodate diners with Celiac disease since cross-contamination cannot be prevented when the kitchen prepares bread from scratch.

A Medical Crew of registered nurses and/or physicians will be present at Camp. These medical professionals will only treat minor illness and injuries. If a camper or volunteer requires urgent medical attention, emergency services will be contacted.

• Comfortable clothes for HOT, HUMID weather
• Walking shoes and shoes that can get wet
• Rain jacket or umbrella
• Reusable water bottle
• Bug spray
• Sunscreen
• Prescription medications
• Snacks and/or special diet foods
• Bible, notebook, and pen
• Bathing suit that allows you to wrangle kiddos in a family-friendly fashion
• Pool towels
• Toiletries
• Phones and chargers
• Shower shoes
• Linens* (twin-sized sheets, sleeping bag or blanket, pillow, and bath towel)

Airport: The nearest airport is Birmingham, AL (BHM), which is about an hour south of Camp McDowell. The Atlanta airport (ATL) is about a three hour drive from Camp.

Directions: Camp McDowell is located at 105 Delong Road, Nauvoo, AL 35578. Once you turn from Highway 195 into Camp McDowell, follow Delong Road to the Welcome Center. Turn right onto Speaks Way. Keep driving until you reach Hall Hall on your left, then send one member of your family inside to check into Camp.

Transportation: We aren’t able to arrange individual airport transportation, but we’d bet our lunch money that someone in the Hope Heals Camp Facebook Group would love to give you a lift. Renting a car, or hiring an Uber or Lyft are options, as well.

We do not coordinate airport transportation to or from Hope Heals Camp. If you are a returning volunteer, we encourage you to get in touch with a camp friend to pick you up from…they’d love to do it! If you are a new volunteer, try joining our Hope Heals Camp Community Facebook Group and asking for a lift.

Volunteers will arrive at Camp between 2 and 4 PM on Sunday afternoon of your registered session. Volunteers are asked to help get campers on the road by 10 AM Friday and then help with camp reset until NOON.

All Camp fundraising must be complete by June 1.