Cindy Jacobson, right, of St. Louis, and camp counselor Kaylin Flamm, of Cobden, work on an arts and crafts project Monday at Camp Little Giant, a summer camp program offered through Touch of Nature’s Therapeutic Recreation. Jacobson, who has cerebral palsy, has returned to Camp Little Giant every year for the past four years to participate in activities such as pontoon boat rides, fishing, swimming, weekly talent shows and haunted hay rides. The campers will go horseback riding today.

Although this is Cindy Jacobson’s fourth year at Camp Little Giant at Touch of Nature Environmental Center in Carbondale, she said she still keeps everything she makes, from the mosaic she created Monday to the old and new friends she meets each year.

Because of programs such as Camp Little Giant, Jacobson, of St. Louis, who has cerebral palsy, is able to participate in activities she wouldn’t normally be able to do back home. Jacobson said she went fishing, attended a dance and went on a hayride.

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Jacobson’s mother Leslee Jacobson said when her daughter came to Camp Little Giant four years ago, she didn’t know anyone.

“Cindy’s normally afraid to do things, but I admire her for going to camp where she didn’t know a soul,” Leslee Jacobson said.

Since then, Cindy Jacobson has made lifelong friends.

Camp Little Giant is the place where people with disabilities can go every year to have fun and adventure, said Vicki Lang-Mendenhall, the camp’s director and certified therapeutic recreation specialist for Touch of Nature. The camp, which has been around for 58 years, serves individuals from different abilities, disabilities and age groups ranging from eight years old to 88 years old, she said.

Camp Little Giant is designed for individuals with disabilities who can’t attend other summer camps, she said. Most of the time, an individual with a disability wants to participate in summer camps, fills out an application to attend, but is told no, Lang-Mendenhall said.

“They’re told they can’t ride a horse, they can’t swim, they can’t ride in a boat,” she said. “But in our means, it’s a ‘we can’ attitude,” she said. “As long as we have the doctor’s OK and guardian’s approval, then we make it happen.”

The campers’ safety and health are the staff’s utmost concern, she said. Nursing staff is on duty 24/7.

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“It is challenging for a lot of reasons. Campers have a lot of medical and health needs that we have to assist them with,” she said. “Obviously, we are limited with our resources, but we do the best we can. There are ways to make things accessible. Sometimes it’s mind over matter.”

Cabin grouping ranges in size from 4 to 8 campers with 2 to 3 staff members per cabin, she said.

Lang-Mendenhall said when she recruits staff members, she reaches out to those majoring in therapeutic recreation, special education and nursing but doesn’t limit who can join the staff. One staff member is majoring in fashion design, she said, but is one of the most energetic and creative people to work alongside.

“It’s nice to have a variety of staff members with different backgrounds,” she said.

Justin Mercer, the camp’s assistant director, joined Touch of Nature in 2006. He said experience in the field was a requirement in one of his courses at SIUC while majoring in outdoor recreation, which led him to Camp Little Giant.

He said he stuck around because he enjoyed seeing the same people year after year, some of whom have been coming back for 20 or 30 years.

“For a lot of people at Camp Little Giant, this is what they look forward to every year,” he said. “It’s kind of a sanctuary, something that is different from their every day.”

Mercer said it’s challenging at times to work alongside those who need additional assistance, but he appreciates the time he spends doing it.

“Even if things are more slow-paced, it makes you appreciate things a little bit more. It makes you take a step back and appreciate the day,” he said.

Watching the campers ride horses is his favorite activity, he said.

“A lot of these guys that are in wheelchairs, they get up and it’s pretty awesome,” he said. “They get to horseback ride and pet the horses.”

Lang-Mendenhall said she believes the camp is a life-changing experience for both staff members and the campers.

“This is the time of their life, and we get to be here and share it with them,” she said. “It’s a life-changing experience for me, and it continues to be.”

Campers will say their good-byes Friday, she said.

“It’s probably one of our hardest days because there are a lot of tears that are shed,” she said.