Welcome to the new website for the Camp Harkness Foundation. Please be aware that certain areas of this website are under construction or may not have the most up-to-date information while we work to understand this new system. This site is intended to be an easily accessible and navigable hub of information for the Camp Harkness community. In the case that you find an error or have any technical difficulites, please send us a message by emailing campharknessfoundation@gmail.com so that we can assist in the improvement of our website.
CAMP HARKNESS
FOUNDATION
Waterford, CT
Explore Current & Completed Fundraising Goals
Current Fundraising Goals
We support Camp Harkness and its community in many different ways, but one of the most impactful is our fundraising campaigns. Learn more about our current goals below.
Updating the Playscapes
Around Camp Harkness, there are currently three play structures. The playscape pictured to the left is a part new play structure in the cabin area, but there's still much work to be done! Additional structures are the next step in the Foundation's plan to provide up to date and accessible ways to play. We are currently accepting donations toward this goal in the hopes to fully finish this new installation.
Improving the Gardens
This goal will never truly be "completed", as the Foundation continually strives to put volunteer hours and funds raised behind the enhancement of the natural spaces at Camp Harkness. Each year, the Foundation puts the funds raised from Camp O 'Lanterns and Magic of the Faeries toward current projects in the Sensory Garden, the development of new cultured garden spaces, and the maintenance or restoration of other garden areas around camp. Make sure to check on the garden spaces at camp frequently - they are always growing!
Nature Preserve Trail and ADA Compliant Walkway
We are currently in the process of applying for grants to support the development of a raised path connecting the nature trail to the gazebo and the sensory garden. This project would provide protection to the native flora in the area and close a 0.4 mile loop that would be completely wheelchair accessible.
Completed Fundraising Goals
Below, please view our successes. They would not have been possible without a strong community and the Foundation is grateful to have been able to provide these materials, structures, and equipment.
Sun Shelter
Thanks to the dedication of Kenneth Small, William Ebersole, Ron Rasi and their families, the Camp Harkness Foundation was able to fund the construction of a new open-air pavilion in the center of the brown cabin campsite. It is vital to our summer camp partner, Sunrise, as their program boasts the highest density of wheelchair users during the summer season. This space provides room enough for proper maneuvering and access to a common area sheltered from the elements. It is additionally used in the off season for many events from the Head for Harkness 5k to Magic of the Faeries.
We are grateful to all of the members of the Developmental Disabilities Association for their sustained support over the many years, and for identifying Camp Harkness Foundation as a benefactor. Without their generosity, we would not have been able to reach this goal.
Thank you Kenneth Small, William Ebersole, Ron Rasi and their families. Camp Harkness has changed for the better directly due to their work, and the Camp Harkness Foundation will continue the work started by our predecessors.
Butterfly Enclosure
One of the Foundation's most recent fundraising goal met is the Butterfly Education Station and Butterfly Enclosure. Funds raised at our annual garden fundraiser, Magic of the Faeries, and a grant awarded by The Connecticut Horticultural Society have made outdoor education about these special pollinators a reality.
The Butterfly Education Station & Enclosure provide a more immersive learning environment to visit with the different species of Lepidoptera. A vital educational resource for our summer camp programs, community outreach activities and family interactions as part of our Horticultural programs offered at Camp Harkness. The Butterfly Enclosure will be open May to October starting the spring of 2025 (anticipated opening). Our butterfly enclosure will showcase host and nectar plants that provide essential food and resources that support the different species of Lepidoptera that visit the gardens.
To make an appointment or reservation to visit our Butterfly Education Station & Butterfly Enclosure with our Horticulturist for your school group or organization contact us at 860-443-7818 or email us at campharknessfoundation@gmail.com
Sunset Overlook
There's nothing quite like a sunset at camp. Many visitors enjoy taking in the last light of the day, but prior to the construction of the Sunset Overlook, there was no comfortable place provided. Through donated materials and efforts by the Camp Harkness Foundation and members of the local community, the Sunset Overlook was constructed. Since it was built, it has served as a stage for musical performances, a place to tell stories, and every day, a wonderful place to watch the sun set.
Labyrinth Spiral
Inspired by Mary Harkness' love of gardens, the Camp Hakrness Foundation sponsored a large garden project in 2006. A wheelchair accessible labyrinth was installed in the sensory garden through the efforts of DDS full-year and summer staff, the Master Garden volunteer program, and the Days of Caring initiative sponsored by United Way.
Seaside Playscape
One of the first and largest projects of the Camp Harkness Foundation was primarily supported by a group of local parents and teachers, who joined forces to build a wheelchair accessible playscape. Through a multitude of fundraisers, including the still active Buy a Brick campaign, we were able to raise the funds necessary to install this playscape in 2004. When it was constructed with the help of DDS staff and local volunteer carpenters, it provided enhancements and adaptations for children with a variety of disabilities. It has served the community well in the over 20 years since, and as it has aged, the Foundation has begun to fund a new playscape to ensure that there continues to be a space to play for all.
Grace Curtis Pavilion
In conjunction with several community support groups, the Camp Harkness Foundation contributed to the construction of this gas grill pavilion. When completed in 2007, the pavilion was dedicated in memory of Grace Curtis, a life-long advocate for individuals with disabilities. Each year in the summertime, thousands of guests are able to use this space to cook for group events.
