Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp: A Wonderful Experience for Kids and Young Adults

Located in Rush, NY, Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp has been a summer camp where children with disabilities have no barriers to fun since 1922.

The 157-acre camp meets the needs of 2,500 kids each summer to give them a unique camping experience they won’t get anywhere else. Campers can choose from various activities such as climbing walls, splash pads, archery, boating, fishing, mini golf, swimming, arts and crafts, music, nature trails, and more.

One of the highlights of the camp is the famous zip line through the woods.

Other newer attractions to the campus are the “My Treehouse” and the Gizzi Family Sensory Center, which has many activities for campers to regulate their sensory needs.

In July, children with disabilities come to the Sunshine Camp for two weeks. This is partly due to the contributions from Rochester Rotarians and the community, which allows campers to enjoy the campus for free.

Staff members participate in rigorous training to understand the types of disabilities the campers face. Some of the disabilities that the camp serves are Asperger’s syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, heart conditions, learning disabilities, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, obsessive-compulsive disorder, seizure disorders, spinal bifida, and terminal illness, among many others.

If you want to work at the Sunshine Campus as a counselor, you must be at least 18 years old. However, teenagers under 18 can still volunteer. Staff applications are available here.

Each year, the program staff puts on a theme for the kids. This year, the theme was Survivor from the hit TV series. Campers would vote off contestants until there was one left standing.

Sunshine is mainly run by its camp coordinators, Dom Magistrado and Alexis Dzus. Magistrado has been working at Sunshine since 2017. During her time at the camp, she worked as a counselor, assistant cabin head, and cabin head before becoming coordinator. Dzus has been at Sunshine since 2018, working as a counselor, cabin head, and program staff, and now coordinator.

When asked what Magistrado loves most about camp, she expresses, “What I love most about Sunshine Camp is the strong sense of community and belonging for everyone. It’s a very important and special place for many people for a variety of reasons, but especially for those who may struggle to find community elsewhere. So many campers and staff alike return to camp year after year, and there’s something very special about that.”

Dzus was asked the same question and believes, “Camp is a place where anything going on in your life takes a back seat. Everyone is welcome, embraced, and loved, no matter their background, ability, or challenges. You come to camp and feel a sense of peace—just a feeling that you belong. It allows for everyone, both campers and staff, to forget the real world for a little while and just be who they want to be. The camp has given me my best friends, allowed me to find my passion and my career, and has given me another place to call home. We really are a family and I look forward to camp every day I’m not there. It truly is the best time of the entire year.”

Naya Grayson (who uses she/they pronouns) came to Sunshine as a kid and never looked back. She expresses, “I’ve been at Sunshine Camp for a while and just finished my third summer as staff. I started as a camper when I was around 11 or 12 and kept coming back. I started my first year on staff in 2022 as a counselor and I realized quickly it was not as easy as my counselors made it seem. But after 10 years of watching these strong human beings adapt and be amazing role models, I found my footing quickly.

In 2023, I stayed as a counselor to study and watch what it means to be a cabin head and how to best support my team. Mid-week, I got bumped up to senior to be a second opinion. This last summer, I was an assistant cabin and had the pleasure of being a support for campers and staff and my cabin head. Growing up with Sunshine, they’d always encouraged and nurtured me to be my best self. Now that it’s my turn in their roles, I’ve noticed a positive change in myself, and every year after camp, I’ve felt rejuvenated and inspired. And for the foreseeable future, I will be returning back home in the loving Sunshine chaos.”

When asked why Sunshine is important, Grayson replied, “This camp is important because it gives and gave many campers a revive from daily struggles and sometimes judgmental world. With people who are so excited that they get to see their old and new campers, new and old friends, it’s an amazing, indescribable feeling to return every year. My very first summer, a program staff who ran arts and crafts, told me, ‘Come to Sunshine once, your heart will stay forever.’ And every year after, with smiling faces of campers and staff, I realized that statement couldn’t be more true.”

There are many camps in New York State, but not all are accessible to everyone. Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp lets kids be kids at no cost to their parents/guardians.

All photos are taken by the camp’s photographer, Julia Pham, with the association of the Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp. If you want to learn more about the camp or donate, please click here. In the meantime, please watch the video below to see what the Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp offers.