Anne and Gibb Jones, former cattle farmers, founded Camp Carefree in 1985 with the motto, “Where Kids Can Just Be Kids.” The nonprofit hosted its first season in 1986 with three weeks of camp.

“[Anne and Gibb, who have since passed away,] wanted to do something for children,” says Diane Samelak, Camp Carefree’s executive director and a Blue Ridge Energy member. “They decided that they were going to have a camp for kids who couldn’t go to traditional camps because of their medical issues.”

Over its 40 years, the camp has always been free to campers. It’s grown from one barn to three cabins, two houses, a pool — and friendly goats, horses and llamas for campers to view. Local businesses, churches and service organizations partner with Camp Carefree to provide meals, annual grounds cleanup and maintenance throughout the year. Private gifts, foundation donations, grants and special events keep the camp running.

“It’s supported by the community,” Diane says. “Anne went to every meeting she could. She was always talking about her camp and people just donated. People do love our camp. Anne would be very proud of what she started.”

Since the early 1990s, the schedule includes six weeks of camp, beginning in mid-June. Campers, aged 6 to 16, arrive on Sunday afternoon and stay overnight until Friday morning. The first week hosts siblings who have brothers and sisters with a chronic illness or disability. Four weeks are grouped to provide the best experience for campers living with cancer, Down syndrome, epilepsy, hemophilia, neurological disorders, spina bifida and Turner syndrome. Another week is dedicated to children with a chronically ill parent. In August, an alumni weekend is available for past campers who graduated from summer camp.

Buddy System

Camp Carefree serves about 300 campers throughout the summer with the help of 10 core staff, 15 to 20 staff volunteers, two volunteer nurses and occasionally, a doctor.

Lori Leisen, an emergency room nurse, heard about Camp Carefree in early 2024 after reading about it in a nursing magazine. She signed up for all six weeks of camp last year and recruited 15 other nurses to come along. She’s back again this summer.

“My whole heart is in this,” Lori says. “I can’t thank the camp enough for allowing me to participate, and for all the parents sharing their children with us — they’ve entrusted us to take care of their kids.”

Each day starts with breakfast in the cafeteria. Days are filled with archery, arts and crafts, canoeing, fishing, horseback riding, rock climbing, scavenger hunts, water games and ziplining. Each night features a special event: a talent show, a dance, hayride, a visit from therapy dogs and two cookouts with s’mores and camp songs.

Tony Time

Tony McCallum was 11 when he attended Camp Carefree’s Siblings Week in 1986; the camp’s very first week of camp. After four years as a camper, Tony moved up to counselor-in-training and then became a counselor at 18. Since 2010, Tony has served as one of three directors of the camp. He’s been motivated by “the love that the counselors gave me and showed me.”

Campers are drawn to Tony, a physical education teacher and a coach at a school in Greensboro, for his sense of humor and ghost stories. He’s the main event at Tony Time, an anticipated event each camp week, where he talks about his experience at camp.

“I’ve always said I want to give back as much as I can,” Tony says, “for as long as I can.”