This summer, Camp Riley celebrates 70 years of offering barrier-free summer camp experiences for individuals with physical and cognitive diagnoses. The confidence and new skills built at Camp Riley have a ripple effect on campers’ lives far beyond their time at camp. Shelby Baker has developed a talent for tie-dying, and camp staff told her last summer that she should have her own business cards. “I actually took them up on that, and I have my own home-based business now,” Shelby shares. She sells clothing and other items at local craft fairs and recently fulfilled an order for 30 beach towels.

Shelby is one of many campers who have been returning to Camp Riley for decades. She was 16 years old when she first attended camp. Now 41, Shelby says that her favorite part of camp is “everything.”

Many services for people with disabilities end when they turn 18 or graduate from high school. Bradford Woods, Indiana University’s outdoor center and home of Camp Riley, previously worked to fill some of that gap by hosting adults for a week of summer camp. Now part of Camp Riley programming, Camp Riley+ (Riley Plus) offers adventures and support to adult campers while easing the financial burden on them and their families. Thanks to the generosity of Riley Children’s Foundation donors, no camper is turned away from Riley+ for an inability to pay.

Shelby looks forward each summer to morning runs in the woods, time with friends she first met as a teenager, and activities like the climbing tower that are only available to her at camp. “It’s a ton of fun,” she says. With steadfast philanthropic support, Camp Riley can continue providing fun and growth for campers across generations.