OUR HISTORY

50 Years of Service

Amplify Life, previously named Camp Lotsafun after our flagship summer camp program, operates under the 501(c) 3 nonprofit, Special Recreation Services, Inc. The first Camp Lotsafun program dates back to 1973 as a limited outdoor program at the Clear Creek Camp near Carson City for children and adults with intellectual disabilities who lived in the Nevada Mental Health Institute.

The intent was to provide beneficiaries with outdoor opportunities to develop skills beyond their normal environment. It was a time when people with special needs were often relegated to institutions and separate classrooms, isolated from the rest of the population. We ran our first recreational camp with the idea that these individuals not only deserved the same opportunities to experience independence, social joy, and self-realization as their friends and neighbors, but also that they would actually thrive given the opportunity to grow, learn new things, and venture out of what was, for many, a small, closed world. In 1980 Special Recreation Services was established as its own 501(c) 3 and today continues to serve many beneficiaries who have aged along with the organization. We rebranded to Amplify Life and still run Camplotsafun to this day!

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For many years we provided summer camp programming only, but today, due to the incredible demand for services that promote a meaningful day, and a meaningful, connected life, we offer year-round programming that emphasizes social enrichment, independent living skills, self advocacy, community engagement, prevocational skills, art, and inclusion through a variety of community partnership day camps, short programs, and overnight residential  camps.

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Amplify Life provides life-changing programs with educational and therapeutic benefits that are not only designed to enhance the quality of life for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, but also provide much needed respite for caregivers.

We are the only therapeutic residential year-round skills based and recreational camp program that serves any child, teen, or adult with an intellectual, developmental, learning, communication, and/or emotional disability between the ages of 14 to 70 plus years in the Northern Nevada region. We never age beneficiaries out of our programs, as this is where they connect, learn, and grow, even into their later years. Camp participants and program clients primarily come from northern Nevada and northern California, including rural areas from both states. Because our type of program is unique, we also accommodate people in need beyond these regions whenever possible.

Diagnoses of our clients include but are not limited to: Autism, Down syndrome, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity, processing disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, Cerebral Palsy, traumatic brain injuries, and various intellectual disabilities. In addition to their primary diagnosis, 61% of our beneficiaries have a secondary diagnosis such as asthma, blindness, psychiatric conditions, Muscular Dystrophy, seizure disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and speech disorders.

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We have a diverse population of clients that learn, work, engage, live and laugh together in our programs. Come join us!

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