PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT: Funds from MVYouth will enable Camp Jabberwocky to renovate, winterize and expand their Main Cabin, the heart of the Jabberwocky campus. The renovation will expand the capacity of the summer camp and enable year-round Island organizations to use the Main Cabin during the Camp’s off-season. Renovations to the Main Cabin are underway by South Mountain Co. The footprint of the old building has been expanded and redesigned to accommodate the various critical roles it plays for the organization - improving accessibility, safety, privacy and flow. The new design will include a commercial kitchen, an expanded dining hall for mealtimes and gatherings, male and female handicap-accessible bathrooms, a screened dining porch, small administrative offices and a nurse’s station.
For 65 years, Camp Jabberwocky, located near Lake Tashmoo in Vineyard Haven, has provided residential summer camps on Martha’s Vineyard for people with disabilities. Their mission is to “create an environment that promotes the fulfillment of human potential and fosters independence and self-determination while respecting diversity.” With a 1:1 camper to counselor ratio and shared residential spaces, the camp is well known for its inclusivity and successfully integrating their programs with hallmark Island summer events such as the 4th of July Parade and Agricultural Fair, while modeling for the Vineyard community a joyous respect for all. At present, Jabberwocky serves approximately 30 campers and counselors who are year-round residents of Martha’s Vineyard.
Once the renovation is complete, the organization plans to run more Island-centric programs in the shoulder seasons and open the space to Island organizations to expand their programming throughout the off-season. They believe in the power of “promoting Camp Jabberwocky’s ideals of volunteerism, inclusion, empowerment, and kindness” in the rising generation of Islanders.
Jabberwocky has formalized an arrangement with Island Grown Initiative (IGI) to use the space September-May to expand youth programs and access to healthy food for all Islanders. IGI estimates their expanded programming will reach 2,500 youth through: after-school programs that engage youth to process gleaned food for Islanders in need; providing free lunches to school children during December, February and April vacations; offering February and April vacation week camps; processing local, gleaned food for school meals and taste tests of local vegetables; and offering cooking classes to pregnant women. Jabberwocky expects that additional collaborations are likely to develop once the facility is usable this fall.