End of Year Appeal

November, 2025

As another impactful year at John J. Nerden RTC Camp comes to an end, we want to take a moment to sincerely thank you for your continued support. Your generosity has greatly affected our community, allowing us to keep our mission alive by providing recreational programs and leisure activities for children and adults with special needs.

This year, we experienced both challenges and successes. We successfully concluded our 60th summer camp season. We served over 100 campers in central Connecticut, offering seven weeks of swimming, arts and crafts, music, outdoor recreation, and special events for individuals with intellectual disabilities. These milestones highlight the positive impact of donations like yours.

Yet, the demand for our services continues to grow. Due to increased expenses, camp has faced many economic challenges, and we need to expand our support to ensure all individuals with intellectual disabilities can access the resources we offer. That is where you come in. This holiday season, we invite you to make a vital end-of-year contribution to the John J. Nerden RTC Camp. Your gift will directly help us expand our programs, hire skilled staff, and serve even more individuals with special needs.

As we look forward to beginning our 61st summer, would you consider donating $25, $50, $100, or any amount you choose? Contributions can be made easily online at CampNerden.com or by mailing a check payable to John J. Nerden RTC Camp, P.O. Box 2617, Meriden, CT 06450. Every dollar you give can make a lasting difference.

We are excited about the opportunities ahead and look forward to continuing this journey of positive impact with your support. Thank you for being an essential part of our mission. Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful and peaceful holiday season.

Warmly,

Laurie J Russell

President, Board of Directors

John J. Nerden RTC Camp

PS: If you donate before the end of the year, your contribution will be tax-deductible and help us start the new year strong. Thank you for your generosity!

Change in Leadership Announcement – January 19, 2025

Dear Camp Families and Friends,

As we enter the new year, Camp is preparing for its 60th summer camp season. It is hard to believe that the dream of a free summer camp program for children and adults with intellectual disabilities has reached this milestone.

The Camp Board of Directors is excited to announce that a new leadership team is in place and ready to move Camp forward in a positive direction. We say goodbye to Sue Chenard after her 10-year service as Assistant Director and Director and wish her the best. We welcome Evelyn Nassif as our new Camp Director and Conor Walsh as Supervisor of Talent and Operations. Rebecca Hanlon, returning as Assistant Director, will be instrumental in helping make this a smooth and successful transition for Camp. 

There is lots of work to be done as we prepare for the upcoming summer camp season. We hope to have Camper applications up on our website sometime in March. We will also be posting information on upcoming fundraising events such as a Comedy Show on March 28th, a Bottle and Can Drive at the end of April, and how we will celebrate our 60-year anniversary. In the meantime, please consider making a donation to Camp either through our website or by mailing to PO Box 2617, Meriden, CT 06450. It is due to the support we receive from those in the communities we serve that we are able to continue to provide our program at no cost to the families of our campers.

Warm regards,

Laurie J. Russell, President
Board of Directors. 

Letter to Parents (Reissued January 2025)

Dear Parents,

As someone who has been involved with camp for over 50 years, and as the parent of a child who has spent many enjoyable hours involved in the programs and activities at the John J. Nerden RTC Camp, it is difficult for us to imagine a time when camp would no longer be available to us. As President and Secretary of the camp’s Board of Directors, we face the reality that these difficult economic times make that possibility evermore threatening. While Board members and Directors work diligently to keep costs down, and to find the necessary funding to support these costs, it is becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile the two. In our constant effort to ensure the future of our camp for your child and others, we find we must seek your assistance.

Let us give you a brief history of how camp started and how camp is funded so that there is no cost to the families of our campers.  

How did we begin?

Back in 1965, there were no recreational programs available to those children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The Regional Training Center and Sheltered Workshop located in Meriden (now known as Kuhn Employment Services) decided to start a camp to serve those in Meriden, Wallingford, Southington, Cheshire, and all of Middlesex County. The Board of Directors of the Regional Training Center applied for and received a $3,000 grant from the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation which was awarding seed money to groups and communities starting programs. The Board of Directors then approached Louis and Herman Zemel who at the time owned Powder Hill Ski Area in Middlefield. The Zemel brothers very generously donated 15 acres of land to be used as a recreational facility for those with special needs. Parents from the local ARCs along with members from local service clubs, and businesses donated their time and hard work getting a building with bathrooms erected, a pool donated and installed, and gathering all the supplies and equipment necessary to start a summer day camp program. Opening day was July 6, 1966, and campers came from Meriden, Wallingford, Southington, Cheshire, and all the cities and towns in Middlesex County served by MARC.  

How are we funded?

At the end of each summer for the past 59 years, we have added up the number of campers from each town and the number of days they attended. We then multiply the number of days times our per/camper day cost to come up with a total cost for each town served that summer. A request for funding is then sent to each town in December/January. For the first 25 years of camp, cities and towns found it more cost effective to honor our request for funding rather than having to set up and run a program of their own. Over the years however, many towns have continued to send campers to us, but have stopped sending funding. Many towns offer free summer recreational programs for their residents; however, we have found that these programs are either not appropriate or are not equipped to service the special needs of our campers. We feel strongly that our campers deserve the same recreational opportunities as their non-disabled peers.

How can you help?

If you know someone in your town who serves on the Town Council, Finance Committee, or works in the

Park and Rec Dept. please go and speak to them about camp.

Consider a fundraising event or donation:

1.Have a Tag Sale

2.Have a Casual Dress Day at your office/school

3.Make a donation to Camp in honor of someone’s birthday, anniversary, graduation, retirement, etc.

4.Designate Camp as recipient of donations in memory of someone who as passed away.

5.Attend/Support Camp fundraisers. Groups in the communities we serve often have annual events to raise money for camp. These events are usually listed on our website, and emails are generally sent to the parents of our campers.

We cannot emphasize too strongly how crucial to the continuation of our camp family your involvement at this time is. You are an important factor. If you have any questions please call.

We thank you for your cooperation and know you will recognize this matter as one of the greatest importance to our children and our families.

Sincerely,

Laurie J. Russell, President – 203-238-3691

Vickie Canale, Secretary

Board of Directors 

John J. Nerden RTC Camp, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Charitable contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by the law.