As spring passes by, Quest’s Camp Thunderbird is preparing to welcome adults with developmental disabilities to its outdoor summer camp. 

“Our goal is to have a safe, fun and compassionate environment for them to experience a full life in,” said camp director Meghann “Meggie” Hall. 

According to Hall, Camp Thunderbird opened in 1969 and sits on 36 acres of land just west of Lake Prevatt, near the intersection of Welch and Thompson roads. Each adult summer camp session lasts one week, in which guests can canoe, swim in the pool, complete a ropes course, and more. 

“We have one young man who used to live here in Florida that now lives in New York — his family comes and visits relatives here, and he gets to come from New York to come to camp,” Hall said. “They come from as close as right down the street to other states away. It kind of depends on who they are and what they’re looking for.” 

Hall said that, although she is better at remembering faces than names, she knows most of her guests and their favorite camp activities.One of those guests is 26-year-old John Loizos, who will return to Camp Thunderbird for his fourth year this summer. 

“He loves being outside,” Hall said. “This is a great place for him to be, because he doesn’t like loud noises.” 

Loizos attends Camp Thunderbird each year from Palm Beach County, around three-and-a-half hours away. Since Loizos has autism and is considered nonverbal, his mother, Emma Dyer-Loizos, requests one-on-one care for him at Camp Thunderbird each year. 

“It’s really stimulating, and it’s a really upbeat environment,” she said. “They’re young people. They have a real positive vibe, and I think my son picks up on that.” 

Dyer-Loizos said she and her husband started taking their son to Camp Thunderbird after COVID-19 temporarily closed his previous camp. 

“The camp we used to have our son at used to offer weekends — like one weekend a month through the year — as well as the summer camp program, but that all changed after COVID,” Dyer-Loizos said. “We noticed there wasn’t the staff. It was on a much smaller basis, and it wasn’t a one-on-three ratio anymore — it was one-on-five to one-on-six. My son got very neglected.” 

One activity Loizos particularly enjoys at Camp Thunderbird is the camp pool, which Hall said was a major improvement. 

“Last year was the first year I’ve ever seen him get in the pool,” Hall said. “He did not get into it for the first two years. Last year, one of our counselors worked with him and was able to get him in the pool for the first time since I’ve been here. Really big stuff, I thought.” 

As their son enjoys nature at camp for two weeks out of the year, his parents visit various Florida beaches, welcoming the respite from full-time caregiving. Dyer-Loizos said she and her husband will typically visit Sarasota during Loizos’ first camp week, then visit beaches near their home in Palm Beach County during the second camp week. 

“It’s given us breathing space as parents,” Dyer-Loizos said. “My son is extremely hands-on — he needs bathing, he needs cleaning up after, he needs a constant eye. He’s in his little sitting room now, but every so often, me and my husband have to go and check him out— you know, ‘How are you, Johnny?’ It’s a full-time job.” 

Although Loizos is at an age where he can move to a group home, his parents want to keep caring for him as long as they can, simply because he is their son. 

“We’d much prefer for him to continue to live with us as long as we physically can look after him to what we feel is the best of our ability,” Dyer-Loizos said. “We make the best of our life. It’s restrictive, sometimes it can be difficult — but we love him. He’s our son, and that’sthat.” 

According to Hall, her passion for overseeing Camp Thunderbird stems from a similar belief in treating those with developmental disabilities equally. 

“There was a young man at my church who also had Down syndrome, and he would follow me around and call me his girlfriend,” Hall said. “None of the other kids at church would hang out with him because they thought he was different. I treat them like everybody else, because they are — they’re just people. They will be treated like us, and I think that’s kind of what solidified it.”

Hall said her camping experience as a Girl Scout enabled her to grow in confidence, and she works to ensure Camp Thunderbird will provide that same benefit to those under her care. 

“Camp Meggie was outgoing,” she said. “She was bubbly, she was more adventurous. I was always kind of shy and kind of reserved. Camp Meggie was more open, and I want to create that same space for our guests, a place where they can feel safe and loved and open to be their true selves. All of our guests deserve that. Not all of our guests get to go to camp as a kid, so we’re able to create that space here for them as adults.” 

Those interested in learning more about Camp Thunderbird may visit questinc.org/camp/.