ABOUT CAMP
OUR CAMP MISSION AND HISTORY
OUR MISSION
To provide an inclusive camp experience for people with special needs and their families.
CBNW envisions a camp where every moment—from morning routines to evening activities—cultivates three core strengths: Compassion (dignified care and empathy), Responsibility (self-management and follow-through), and Teamwork (inclusive collaboration). Embedded across cabins, programs, meals, and the health center, these habits travel home, deepen respite for families, and build a safer, kinder, more independent community.
Tony AndrusCamper
Cindy GarnerAbby’s Mom
Kris MillerCamper
Hilary HoltropCounselor
Anna TalburtCamper
History of Camp Beausite Northwest
CBNW first opened its tent flaps in 1989. The camp was started by a Kiwanis Club in Sequim, WA to give children with disabilities the opportunity for the camp experience. In the beginning, the camp did not have a permanent site and between 1989 and 1993 camp sessions were held at various campgrounds around the Olympic Peninsula offering 1–2 weeks of camp programming during the summer.
In 1993, four more Kiwanis Clubs joined the original group and the Northwest Kiwanis Camp was incorporated with the goal of locating, acquiring, and developing a permanent camp site. That same year, Jefferson County offered the group a long-term lease on a 55-acre parcel in Chimacum, WA. The site included a 5,000-square-foot lodge and a caretaker’s cottage. For the first several years, our campers came to camp during the summer for 3 weeks of summer camp and stayed in army tents and slept on cots.
Recognizing the need for a name that better reflected the growth in the scope of services we provide and the diversity of our supporters, the organization officially changed its name to Camp Beausite Northwest in 2011.
Over the years – through the efforts of so many within our community – CBNW has been able to build and create the facility that we have today. The first phase was started in 2009 when construction began on an 1,100-square-foot bathroom, shower, and laundry facility to support the needs of our campers. Phase 1 was completed in 2016 with the installation of a commercial kitchen in the lodge. Phase II began in 2017 with the construction of the two bunkhouses that would ultimately house up to 40 campers and staff, along with fully-accessible bathrooms. Phase III began in 2018 with the construction of the Edmondson Lodge which was completed just in time for summer camp in May of 2019.
2020 and 2021 would prove to be an incredibly difficult couple of years for Camp Beausite Northwest and their camp families due to the COVID 19 pandemic, which would ultimately halt all in-person programs. While making the best of an incredibly difficult situation, CBNW was able to pivot to at-home camp programming and virtual camp programs to offer to our campers through the generosity of local grants. The blessing of time has given CBNW the opportunity to develop our programs and funding processes, along with facility development, in order to bring our campers back to an even better camp experience than before. There is much left to do, facilities to build, programs to expand, and funds to raise to continue to see the dream come to fruition that was envisioned by the Sequim Kiwanis Club in 1989. We are excited and hopeful to share that if we can dream it, we can make it happen, and the future is definitely ours!
American Camp Association Accreditation
Camp Beausite Northwest is proud to be accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA) — the national standard of excellence for camps across the country.
ACA Accreditation is a voluntary, peer-reviewed process that evaluates every aspect of a camp’s operation. This includes health and safety practices, staff training, emergency preparedness, risk management, food service, facilities, transportation, and program quality. Earning accreditation means that Camp Beausite Northwest meets or exceeds hundreds of national standards recognized by industry professionals, educators, and child development experts.
The accreditation process took more than a year of preparation and includes policy reviews, on-site visits, documentation audits, and hands-on evaluations conducted by trained ACA visitors. Once accredited, a camp must undergo an Annual Accreditation Review to verify continued compliance and demonstrate a commitment to improvement. Every five years, ACA-accredited camps are revisited in person to ensure they are maintaining the highest standards of safety, professionalism, and camper care.
For Camp Beausite Northwest, ACA Accreditation is more than a certification — it’s a promise. A promise to continue delivering safe, inclusive, and life-changing camp experiences for individuals of all abilities.