Camp Floyd Rogers
Camp Floyd Rogers
P.O. Box 31536
Omaha, NE 68131
(402) 341-0866
A week that shapes a lifetime for children 8 to 18 with diabetes.
Dr. Floyd Rogers, then taking a residency in Internal Medicine at Northwestern University, had a young child in ketoacidosis and was waiting for their very first shipment to the hospital of the new miracle drug out of Canada, insulin. Without insulin there was no hope for this child. The insulin was late in arriving, the child had passed away, but another child had been admitted to the hospital in a similar condition and was given the precious drug. The child lived and thrived. Dr. Rogers was so impressed with this experience that later, when he was in private practice in Lincoln, Nebraska, he developed a special summer program for diabetic girls on his farm. This program then developed and evolved into Camp Floyd Rogers, run by the Floyd Rogers Foundation and utilizing camp sites in Iowa and Nebraska. The camp now operates each June providing summer camp experiences for 100 boys and girls who are diabetic, ages 8 to 18.
100 children come to Camp Floyd Rogers each summer. They come to enjoy activities, participate in special events, engage in innovative evening programs, and they meet other children their own age with diabetes.
Camp Floyd Rogers offers young people an opportunity to share some of life's adventures with others who also happen to have diabetes. By the time these children leave camp, they know more about themselves and how to cope with diabetes, and they realize that they aren't as alone or as different as they one thought.
Developing responsibility and positive attitudes, while establishing confidence and a sense of security, is a primary goal of the camp experience. Staff and other campers serve as positive role models and each child is encouraged to develop responsibility for maintaining a proper balance of insulin, diet, and activity according to his or her level of understanding and maturity. Through the bonds formed at camp, positive diabetes management is emphasized in an atmosphere of fun and friendship.
