Camp Millhouse
Empowerment ~ Independence ~ Compassion
If you successfully bid on items but you are not at the event to take them home with you, it is your responsibility to contact the office to pick up your items no later than April 5, 2025.
Your credit card on file will be charged by end of day Sunday, March 16, 2025 if you are the successful high bidder.
Have fun, happy bidding and thank you!
Mission: Inspiring self-discovery in individuals with special needs through a safe, traditional camp experience.
Empowerment ~ Independence ~ Compassion
About Camp Millhouse
Camp Millhouse began in 1937 as a camp for children with polio. As the polio vaccine took hold, the camp transitioned into what it is today - a residential summer camp for children and adults with disabilities. Camp Millhouse has been providing a traditional camp experience tailored to meet each individual camper's abilities & needs and improve their quality of life. While many camps age-out when the campers reach their early twenties, Camp Millhouse is unique in that we serve both children and adults (our oldest camper is 74!). We also serve campers with a wide range of special needs. We have campers who just need some gentle reminders to campers who require complete and total care. Camp Millhouse can provide either a day camp or residential camp experience. We are also able to provide our campers with unique adventures like our low ropes challenge course and learning a new way to do art with our wheelchair art equipment. There are no other camps in our community or even in Northern Indiana that meet all of this same criteria. Camp Millhouse provides the chance to learn and practice a variety of different skills like independence, spending the week in an open cabin setting, making friends, outdoor physical activities in a supportive "choose your challenge" atmosphere and just having fun! Not only does Camp Millhouse provide all of these vital services to people with disabilities, but the experience that Camp provides to our staff and volunteers is nothing short of life-changing! "Camp is where you live for moments you can't put into words! You change lives, grow as a person & create friendships that last a lifetime!" - said R.P. counselor. It gives our staff members multiple opportunities for learning skills such as flexibility, patience, adaptability, how to think on your feet and social skills as well. Many staff say their experience at camp was so life-changing, they are changing their future plans so they can work with our clients full time. "I feel like this summer has changed me more than anything else I've ever done. I've done so many things that I didn't think I would be able to do. I kind of feel like I'm almost a completely different person. I've grown a lot. I am very proud of myself" - said E., cabin crew. For many of our camper parents and caregivers, their camper's week at camp is the only time they have to themselves each year. This allows them time to rest, go on vacation, or do something they have wanted to do by themselves knowing their loved ones are being well taken care of and having fun. "Camp means two weeks of no worry about Monika's welfare and that is a lot of "freedom" for us" -U.L., longtime camper mom.
We have an off-season program called The Millhouse Mingle which is a once-a-month meet up in the community where the camper and family can join the camp staff to do an activity, eat a meal or have a special snack in the community. Camp Millhouse covers all or some of the expense to help our families. It's a fun time to stay connected to camp friends while anxiously awaiting the following summer. Camp can always use extra funds to help cover the cost of the Mingles to allow more families to participate.
Your support of this event, and other fundraising events for Camp Millhouse, supports our campers, their families/caregivers and our staff. As many of you know, we are not a United Way agency and we do not have any overarching organization that covers our year-round expenses. Without the faithful support of all of you, we could not provide this unique experience to hundreds of campers, staff and families each year. It takes all of our hard-work from August to the following May to make the summer season of June and July a safe, fun experience. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! Diana and Melissa, on behalf of our campers, their families, our staff and the Camp Millhouse Board of Directors.
CAMP LODGE CAMPAIGN
Thanks to very generous support from our community, we were able to build a life-changing new lodge which we moved into in June 2023. The final cost was $1.64M. We are only $80,000 short of that tremendous goal. We need investors who understand how vital Camp Millhouse is, not only to the immediate area but to campers who come to us from all over the Midwest. We love telling people in the community about Camp Millhouse. Let us know if you'd like to have us speak or, even better, if you would like to bring your group to Camp for a tour, to meet in our lodge or to see Camp in session during the summer. We'd love to show you around. Come join us for a meal! Can you, or someone you know, help us meet this final push to raise the $80,000 to complete our fundraising for the lodge? Call the office and ask for Diana 574-233-2202. Thank you!
Join our Team! Check out what an amazing experience you can have while work
Check it out! Hear from our staff why they choose to spend their summer at Camp Millhouse.
Call the office to schedule a tour 574-233-2202. For more information: campmillhouse.org/join-our-team.html
Using ClickBid for a great auction experience.
When perusing the auction items, be sure to click each item to read the description so you know exactly what you are bidding on. You can bid as you go or set a "max bid" to allow the ClickBid system to bid for you up to the maximum amount you are willing to pay. It will bid in the increment set on each auction item until the bid surpasses your max bid. Thank you for participating in this event! The funds raised help cover expenses for our summer season of June and July.