Happy 25th Birthday HERITAGE CAMPS FOR ADOPTIVE FAMILIES!

Pam Sweetser, Founder & Executive Director

Bottom line is every adopted person comes with a heritage, a background, and an identity that is not exactly the same as their adoptive parents. In the 25 years we have been providing Heritage Camps, we have found this difference to be a true gift for families, and one that should be celebrated and explored together. To facilitate this exploration, we rely heavily on our cultural communities who gracefully volunteer to provide authentic education and experience for our campers and parents, just as we rely on experts in the adoption field to provide the tools adoptees and adoptive parents often need and are searching for. Our volunteer counselors are role models, both in their cultural identity and many as adoptees themselves. Without question, these camps have revealed how important recognizing and finding ways to talk about and celebrate adoption is vital for adoptive families. As one parent put it, “The impact this camp had on my son was watching him interact with the other kids as if they’d always been best friends, and to see him getting more comfortable with what it means to be adopted.”

It is often said, “How can you know where you are going if you don’t know where you came from?” The mission of Heritage Camps for Adoptive Families is to provide an unprecedented place for families to learn, share, gain support, and celebrate adoption with each other. As one of our parents who came to camp for the first time last year said, “My daughter has talked about this camp ever since it ended last year. Somehow, she just knew it was a good feeling being there.” There is no greater gift parents can give their children than the opportunity to discover who they really are, and to celebrate in that discovery with them.

A highlight of last summer was our first Adult Adoptee Retreat. It was a one-day session in a room of 50 people who all had one thing in common – they were adopted. It was an emotional, uplifting, electrifying day, and by popular demand is expanding to three days this summer! There were adoptees at the retreat who were adopted internationally from many countries, and domestically. The youngest adoptee was 18 years old, and the oldest was in her 60s. About half of the participants had attended one of our heritage camps, the other half had never had that kind of experience as children. As one participant said, “It was so validating to have the level of understanding and shared experiences in the room. I laughed, I cried, I came away feeling empowered, connected, and myself.”

Our camps and retreat are held in various locations across Colorado. We welcome ALL adoptees and adoptive families and do not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation and gender expression, physical or mental handicap, marital status, or national and ethnic origin. We offer camp program fee and lodging scholarships to families in need of assistance.

HCAF is a non-profit organization, and we rely on donations to support our camps so that we can keep costs reasonable for families and adult adoptees to attend. Please go to our web site at www.heritagecamps.org for further information, details about each camp’s dates, location, costs, etc this summer, and to register for camp!


Happy 25th Birthday HERITAGE CAMPS FOR ADOPTIVE FAMILIES! Pam Sweetser, Founder & Executive Director Bottom line is every adopted person comes with a heritage, a background, and an identity that is not exactly the same as their adoptive parents. In the 25 years we have been providing Heritage Camps, we have found this difference to be a true gift for families, and one that should be celebrated and explored together. To facilitate this exploration, we rely heavily on our cultural communities who gracefully volunteer to provide authentic education and experience for our campers and parents, just as we rely on experts in the adoption field to provide the tools adoptees and adoptive parents often need and are searching for. Our volunteer counselors are role models, both in their cultural identity and many as adoptees themselves. Without question, these camps have revealed how important recognizing and finding ways to talk about and celebrate adoption is vital for adoptive families. As one parent put it, “The impact this camp had on my son was watching him interact with the other kids as if they’d always been best friends, and to see him getting more comfortable with what it means to be adopted.” It is often said, “How can you know where you are going if you don’t know where you came from?” The mission of Heritage Camps for Adoptive Families is to provide an unprecedented place for families to learn, share, gain support, and celebrate adoption with each other. As one of our parents who came to camp for the first time last year said, “My daughter has talked about this camp ever since it ended last year. Somehow, she just knew it was a good feeling being there.” There is no greater gift parents can give their children than the opportunity to discover who they really are, and to celebrate in that discovery with them. A highlight of last summer was our first Adult Adoptee Retreat. It was a one-day session in a room of 50 people who all had one thing in common – they were adopted. It was an emotional, uplifting, electrifying day, and by popular demand is expanding to three days this summer! There were adoptees at the retreat who were adopted internationally from many countries, and domestically. The youngest adoptee was 18 years old, and the oldest was in her 60s. About half of the participants had attended one of our heritage camps, the other half had never had that kind of experience as children. As one participant said, “It was so validating to have the level of understanding and shared experiences in the room. I laughed, I cried, I came away feeling empowered, connected, and myself.” Our camps and retreat are held in various locations across Colorado. We welcome ALL adoptees and adoptive families and do not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation and gender expression, physical or mental handicap, marital status, or national and ethnic origin. We offer camp program fee and lodging scholarships to families in need of assistance. HCAF is a non-profit organization, and we rely on donations to support our camps so that we can keep costs reasonable for families and adult adoptees to attend. Please go to our web site at www.heritagecamps.org for further information, details about each camp’s dates, location, costs, etc this summer, and to register for camp!
Beacon - March 2016