• Survivor Stories
• Burn Camp

Burn Camp

Burn injury is extremely painful and challenging for children. They often don't understand about the injury and why the wound care and physical therapy requires so much effort and hurts so much. As they grow older, their injured skin may not expand at the same rate as the tissues it covers, making their long-term physical and emotional recovery more difficult than for adult burn survivors.

Extended contact with professionals who understand burn injury and with peers who have suffered similar injuries can make a big difference in the lives of children who have been burned. The Mid-Atlantic Burn Camp (MABC) offers just such an experience and is among the oldest and largest burn camps in the US. The camp was founded in 1988 by Tonas Kalil and Linda French, both experienced physical therapists in burn care. Sixty to eighty campers each summer travel from several states to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains campsite.

Many MABC counselors are burn center professionals who want the opportunity to help burned children with their on-going recovery. Others are fire and emergency service personnel who feel a special bond with burn-injured children. All are screened carefully for their ability to relate to young burn survivors in a camp setting.

Camp programs include the normal range of land and water sports, arts and crafts, physical challenges, games, skits and social gatherings like campfires. Counselors concentrate on building trusting relationships with the children, so they can feel comfortable expressing whatever may trouble them about their injuries and how others react to them. Sharing between children and with their counselors typically provides a "personal growth spurt" which improves their lives long after camp ends.

The burn camp experience goes far beyond an exciting week in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Many campers and their families enjoy picnics, holiday parties, and other outings in their home areas in and around Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington and the major cities of Virginia. Camp directors and counselors frequently become members of the extended families of the campers. The commitment to campers now extends beyond the 8 to 17 age range, with career counseling and a new endowment designed to support post-high school scholarships.

Winter camp is also available for those 15-17 years old who attend MABC.  The winter camp is held in the Pocono Mountains.

Burn Foundation Involvement

The Burn Foundation's involvement to MABC extends beyond financial support. In addition to providing up to 25 scholarships each year for young burn survivors to attend the summer camp session, the Foundation works closely with area burn centers to identify and recruit potential campers, arranges their transportation to Baltimore and chaperones their trip. In 2008 the Foundation sent Scott Cohen, Dir. of Prevention Education, as a counselor to MABC.  Scott was stuck by the the dedication of burn camp staff and the positive impact that a week of fun, socialization and adventure can have on campers.  Click here to learn more about camp and other services to survivors.

Your Involvement

The cost to send a single child to camp is approximately $750. Your donation, in any amount, will help the Burn Foundation to continue the burn camp program here in the Greater Delaware Valley, as well as our prevention and education programs.

For information on how to make a donation or if you know a child who might benefit from the MABC camp experience, contact the Burn Foundation at (215) 545-3816.