NJ Special Needs Camp Fair To Be Held In Union County

WESTFIELD, NJ — NeedQuest and Elm Street Placements will host CAMP-A-PALOOZA! The New Jersey Special Needs Camp Fair to help families in Union, Essex, Morris, Somerset and the surrounding counties find appropriate camps and summer programs for their special needs children.

The fair will take place at the new Hilton Garden Inn on Route 22 in Springfield on Saturday, March 3 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This family-friendly, free event will feature more than 30 camps and summer programs, live entertainment, and a quiet, crafting room for overwhelmed kids to take a break.

Westfield mother, Leslie Crowe is the owner of NeedQuest.com, a local directory of special needs resources in New Jersey. She came up with the idea for CAMP-A-PALOOZA!

“I had this idea that the fair should be super kid-friendly, nature-themed, possibly with reptiles or live entertainment to make it fun and interactive for kids and easy for parents to attend," Crowe said. "Many resource fairs have great vendors, but are too 'boring' for the kids and since it’s hard to go anywhere without your special needs child, it is much easier for parents to attend an event if there are kid-friendly activities.”

Crowe decided to partner with Lucy Pritzker, of Elm Street Placements, an educational consulting firm in Westfield for the event.

“Lucy is a renowned education consultant in our area,” says Crowe. “She knows everyone in the special needs world and travels the globe to find the appropriate schools, camps, therapeutic programs, wilderness programs and residential facilities for children of all ages and abilities. Lucy is as knowledgeable as it gets when it comes to connecting parents to resources.”

Local camps signed up to participate include Harbor Haven, JCC of Scotch Plains, New Horizons Day Camp, Fusion Academy and many more.

There will also be sleepaway camps represented including Summit Camp and Travel in Honesdale, Pennsylvania (they have many special campers from Westfield, Scotch Plains and surrounding areas who attend their camp each summer) as well as sleepaway camps and wilderness programs from other states.

In addition to vendor tables, other sponsorship opportunities include grand, master and mini sponsorships for special needs providers who may not be a camp or summer program but would like to have a presence at the fair. Tables for camps, summer programs and sponsorships are limited and will be sold on a first come, first served basis.

For more information about CAMP-A-PALOOZA! The New Jersey Special Needs Camp Fair click here or call Crowe at 917-304-4190 or Lucy Pritzker at 908-370-8021.

Ticket information can also be found on www.Eventbrite.com, www.NeedQuest.com and
www.ElmStreetplacements.com.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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