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Camp Fish Tales commemorates 25 years

In a May 19, 2019 photo, Jenee Velasquez, executive director of The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, cuts a ribbon in dedication of the new 24-bed cabin at Camp Fish Tales in Pinconning, Mich. The camp is a barrier-free summer camp for people with disabilities. Located on 67 acres, the camp provides specialized camping experiences for individuals of all ages with varying types of disabilities - from rock climbing and zip lining to fishing, archery and more. (Ashley Schafer/Midland Daily News via AP)

MIDLAND — Camp Fish Tales, a barrier-free camp that serves individuals with special needs, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with an open house and 5K fun run.

Located on 67 acres, Camp Fish Tales provides specialized camping experiences for individuals of all ages with varying types of disabilities — from rock climbing and ziplining to fishing, archery and more.

Campers get to do things at Camp Fish Tales that they normally wouldn’t get to do, said Executive Director Shannon Forshee.

She said her favorite part about it is the friendships the campers make with one another.

“They call each other from year to year and say ‘Hey, I’m going week three, can you go?’ and they all get together and meet up,” she said to the Midland Daily News. “It’s truly their vacation for them.”

Board President Jennifer Page said this is just the third year that an open house event was held.

“We really thought it would be for people who maybe are thinking about coming to camp, and we get some of those, but for the most part, it’s like a kick-off for those people who can’t wait to get to camp,” she said. “They’re the ones who love to come out here and say hi.”

As part of the recent event, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to dedicate a new 24-bed cabin, which will double the camp’s capacity, Forshee said.

“This expansion demonstrates that even as we celebrate our beloved camp’s 25-year legacy, we are even more focused on our future and the incredible experiences we can provide to our camping community,” she said in a statement.

Since 1996, the camp has been located in Pinconning and has expanded in numerous ways. However, Fish Tales got its start in 1993, as a week-long camp hosted at Delta College and Saginaw Valley State University.

Despite a setback in 2015, when a camp secretary embezzled $50,000, Camp Fish Tales has continued to grow and expand, Page said.

“A lot of board members had to pitch in, kind of bring it back from the ground up,” she said. “So, it’s really important to us that not only did we manage to keep the camp going, but it’s thriving.”

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