85% of Children who attend CAMP SWEENEY with a high-risk Hemoglobin A1c improve their control to normal range after a single.

The CAMP SWEENEY difference.

A diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes changes the life of a child forever. Days filled with school, sports, and activities are quickly replaced by blood tests, insulin injections, and carbohydrate calculations. Every step required to manage their diabetes is a step away from what children see as “normal.” But at Camp Sweeney, Type 1 diabetes is normal. And when diabetes disappears, every camper can show what makes them special, not what makes them different.

Camp Sweeney serves over 1,000 children every year, from all walks of life, nationalities, creeds and financial backgrounds. Camp Sweeney is the largest three week residential camp in the world for children with Type 1 Diabetes. For some campers in the Texas Foster Care System, attending Camp Sweeney each summer is often their only consistent family.

Since 1984 Camp Sweeney has been run by volunteer Camp Director, Dr. Ernie Fernandez, who has dedicated more than 30 years of his life to the children of Camp Sweeney.

Operating a medical childcare rehabilitation facility is extremely costly, about $4,500,000 per year.

Some campers are able to pay tuition while Camp Sweeney provides financial aid to approximately 50% of campers. No camper has ever been turned away due to inability to pay.

In addition to base financial aid, some families are burdened with extreme circumstances: a family member with cancer, multiple children with a chronic disease or the loss of a parent that takes the family’s financial needs beyond the standard aid available. In these situations Camp Sweeney relies on fundraising and a ‘Special Scholarship’ fund, raised annually through a series of events, Gift of Sweeney, Camp Sweeney’s Play for the Day and Sweeney de Mayo.

Although Camp Sweeney is only in session during the summer, diabetes doesn’t stop when the school year begins, and neither do we. Our outreach program, “PFC Life” keeps campers connected through every season! In communities across Texas, families volunteer to host PFC Life events. Campers gather at a designated home on Tuesdays or Thursdays from 7:30 to 8:30 pm. to share their highs and lows. These nights of games, laughter, and Sweeney traditions bring Perseverance, Faith, and Courage to life and remind.

Testimonials

CAMP SWEENEY provided $1,287,854 in financial aid in 2021.

Parent Testimonials

  • "She has grown so much since her first stay at Camp Sweeney. It is an amazing camp not only for the ones with diabetes but also for those who support them. Thank you so much for providing such an amazing camp. I have a dear friend (diabetic) who will be 60 this year who still talks about her time at Camp Sweeney!”

  • “My daughter always, thoroughly, enjoys camp. As a parent, I feel confident that she will always have a good time, be taken care of and she will learn how to become more independent and confident with her diabetes management.”

  • “Camp Sweeney is a truly exceptional and special place. We feel so lucky to have found a place that takes such wonderful care of our sweet boy, helps him manage his diabetes and form relationships with people who truly care about him.”