Youth Camps

What is Camp All About?

At Texas Lions Camp, we view camp as a time for campers to explore, exercise curiosity, and discover new interests and abilities. We want campers to attempt things that would normally be out of their reach, such as riding a horse, or rock climbing on our ropes course, or just being part of a team.

Almost every activity at TLC requires more than one person to accompish - the premise being that we are not meant to be alone in life and can accomplish great things when we work together.

Not only is participation in the context of a team an important life skill, but it is a pathway to the self-esteem, boosting multiplier of helping others accomplish their goals. Almost seven decades of experience has taught that children who invest in the success of others experience a heightened sense of self-worth and a renewed sense of purpose.

Our campers graduate week after week, having been introduced to actively pursuing friendships, goals, teamwork and a passion we have found translates to life-long lessons for leading successful and purposeful lives.

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Activities at TLC

What do children do while at TLC? The TLC programming model is built are the following core activities:

Programs List
  • Archery
  • Barnyard Green-thumb
  • Arts & Crafts
  • Swimming
  • Drama
  • Horses
  • Ropes Course
  • Recreation & Athletics
  • Music
  • Fishing
  • Paddle boating & Canoeing

Children with Physical Disabilities

TLC offers five sessions for children who have physical disabilities, ages 7-16. Different from many traditional approaches that may group children according to their diagnosis, TLC's program mainstreams children according to their age and gender and not according to their disabilities. This approach allows children not only to experience what it is like to overcome their own obstacles but also the challenges presented to other children who have a different diagnosis.

Over the years, the advantages and benefits of this approach have become apparent as children learn what it means to work as team, what it means to be helpful, what it means to put the needs of someone else above your own and even what it means to be thankful for the abilities that you have been granted.

Children with Down Syndrome

Ranked as one of the highlights of the TLC experience, our staff excel at the production of this amazing program offering. To qualify, children must be between the ages of 12-16, be a Texas resident and have Down Syndrome as a diagnoses. In addition, children must be cooperative, have basic self-help skills and be able to participate in a small group setting with 5-8 other children within the broader Camp setting.

Numbers for this program are generally capped at approximately 75 campers for the week, providing an atmosphere adpated for their success and individual programming needs.

Healthcare

Healthcare for campers during this week will be under the general supervision and care of TLC's Medical Director who supervises 2-6 licensed nurses per shift, which may vary depending upon time of day and needs. All nurses are operating under the standing orders of a licensed, medical doctor. Peterson Regional Medical Center is less than 5 miles and emergency response times are generally 3-6 minutes. In addition, two companies operate Lifeflight and have a supportive relationship with TLC.

Atlanto-Axial Instability

Campers should be certified free of the Atlanto-axial Instability condition prior to applying and participating in Camp.

Awards Night

All family members are invited to join us on Friday evening at 7:00 pm for Awards night. During this one-of-a-kind ceremony, we will celebrate our children and their many accomplishments as well as graduate our 16 year-olds from the program.

Children with Type-1 Diabetes

TLC's program for children who have type-1 diabetes began in the mid-1970's under the general supervision of Dr. Luther Travis. For over 40 years, the program has thrived under the expertise of Dr. Stephen Ponder.

The program is organized into two, one-week sessions and is especially helpful for newly-diagnosed campers, who are granted priority registration until April 15th of each year. To qualify, children must be between the ages of 8-15, be a Texas resident and have a primary diagnoses of Type-1 diabetes.

Medical Care

Led by Dr. Stephen Ponder, TLC typically has more than 50 medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists, diaticians, other medical professionals and medical students who join to make the TLC experience second to none.

Check-in

Check-in is held on Sunday from 1:00-4:00 pm. Families arriving prior to 1:00 pm will be asked to park in the order in which they arrived and wait until the 1:00 PM opening. Check-in will then begin in the order of arrival.

It is to your benefit to arrive later than 1:00 pm as 1:00-2:30 is our peak time for traffic. If you would like to reduce your wait time, you may find that arriving between 2:30-3:30 better suits your needs.

The TLC staff has a precious little, 24 hours off between sessions; therefore your patience and understanding of the importance of observing the posted check-in and check-out times is appreciated. In no instance may children be dropped-off or check-in prior to the 1:00 pm start of camp.

Closing Ceremony and Check-out

Awards will begin promptly at 7:30 pm and will generally conclude between 8:30-8:45 pm. Parents & family members are encouraged to support their children by attending. For those electing to leave Friday evening, Check-out will begin immediately following awards. For those who wish to check-out early on Friday, please be aware that early check-out must occur prior to 4:00pm and will not be permitted between the hours of 4:00pm-8:45 pm.

Check-outs occur either on Friday evening after the awards program (~8:45-9:00 pm) or Saturday morning (8:00 am) of your child's session. In no case may children remain at TLC later than 10:00 am on Saturday morning.

Parent's Dinner

As a service to the families of our campers, a Parent's program and dinner is offered at 5:30-7:00 pm at TLC's Dining Hall. This program will provide parents a relaxed dinner environment with more personal access to Dr. Ponder, wo will speak on the topic of diabetes management.

This valuable offering will be an educational experience designed to help families of campers update themselves with the latest information in diabetes care. A short Q&A will also be apart of the program.

Past Partner Organizations

TLC is proud to have been host to a number of partner camps who operated high-quality programs at TLC in the recent past. Applications to these programs are seperate from TLC's programs and must be made directly, through the respective organization when applicable. Please see their websites for more information.

Texas Burn Survivors

The mission of Texas Burn Survivor Society (TBSS) is to provide care, comfort, and essential services to the critically burned and their families. TBSS has created successful programs of patient support which have assisted thousands of burn and thermal injury survivors to achieve a successful return to normal and productive lives.

How to Apply

The application process at TLC involves the submittal of an indepth application that will include the submittal of: 1) Contact Information 2)Physical and Doctor's Permission 3) Lion Sponsor 4) Dietary Requirements 5) Insurance information and 6) Legal Waiver & Permission to Treat.

The application system is now open.

New Campers, without an existing account, click below:

If you are new to TLC and have never opened an account, please begin the process by clicking the button below to open an account.

New Campers

Existing Campers, with Accounts

If you are a returning camper and have opened an account in the past, please click the button below to login to your account:

Returning Campers

If you are wanting to apply to attend as a family, please visit the Family Camp page to register.