Camp He Ho Ha: Alberta’s Inclusive Summer Camp Where Every Camper Belongs

 

“I love coming to camp because when I am at camp, I don’t have a disability.” — Wolf, camper

Read that again. Slowly.

A camper named Wolf put into one sentence what Camp Health, Hope & Happiness — known across Alberta simply as Camp He Ho Ha — has been building for more than sixty years. Not a place where their disability is managed or accommodated or worked around. A place where, for a week at a time, it simply isn’t the thing that defines them.

That’s the quiet magic of this place. And it’s why I wanted to shine our Local Spotlight on Alberta’s most welcoming accessible summer camp, tucked on 107 acres along the shore of Lake Isle, ninety kilometres west of Edmonton.

A Vision That Started in 1959

The story begins with the Kiwanis Club of South Edmonton. In 1959, they approached the Alberta Minister of Health with a conviction that Albertans with disabilities deserved a summer camp of their own. The province agreed. The Kiwanis Club then rallied other charitable organizations to the cause — the Associated Commercial Travelers (Edmonton) Club, the Diabetic Association, and the Edmonton Cerebral Palsy Association — and together they formed the Alberta Council.

They secured a lease on Lake Isle. Imperial Oil donated skid shacks. Mr. and Mrs. Muttart donated a Medical Centre. And in 1960, Camp Health, Hope & Happiness officially opened its doors.

More than six decades later, the mission hasn’t drifted. Camp He Ho Ha still exists to give people with disabilities enriching recreational experiences in an environment where everyone feels welcomed, supported, and included. The programs have grown. The facilities have grown. The heart of this Alberta disability camp is unchanged: belonging and possibility, for every single camper.

Who Attends This Inclusive Alberta Summer Camp

Picture a week at Camp He Ho Ha and try to imagine the range of people you’d meet. Over 600 campers come through each summer. They span from age 6 to 101. They travel from across Alberta, from Nunavut, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Northern British Columbia. Roughly half come from the greater Edmonton area.

Some live with physical disabilities. Some with neurodiverse or developmental disabilities. Some with sensory challenges or complex medical needs. Some are medically fragile.

And here’s what sets this place apart: Camp He Ho Ha is the leading facility of its kind in Northern and Central Alberta that does not discriminate based on the type or degree of disability. No family is turned away because their loved ones needs are “too complex.” A senior with mobility challenges can still try the zipline. Every person who walks through the gate gets the chance to experience connection, recreation, and community without barriers.

This is what a truly inclusive summer camp in Alberta looks like.

What a Week at Camp He Ho Ha Actually Looks Like

The 107-acre, fully wheelchair accessible facility on Lake Isle is built for adventure. A week at camp might include:

• A heated indoor swimming pool
• Waterfront activities — canoes, paddleboats, fishing, and power barges (yes, campers get to drive the barge)
• A 40-foot climbing wall, ropes course, and zip line
• An 18-hole mini-golf course
• Out-tripping with overnight tenting
• Arts and crafts, performing arts, music, campfires, games, and dance parties

The weeks are thoughtfully planned to balance activity with rest, structure with spontaneity.

But the activities are really just the vehicle. What actually happens at camp is harder to put on a schedule. Campers grow in confidence. They form friendships that carry them through the rest of the year. They try things they’d been told — or had told themselves — were out of reach. And sometimes, like Wolf, they get to experience what it feels like when the labels fall away.

The People Who Make Camp He Ho Ha Work

Every summer, Camp He Ho Ha hires 35 post-secondary students who serve as camp counsellors from May through August. Before the first camper arrives, they complete an intensive 8-day training and orientation covering camper care, safety, inclusion practices, leadership, personal support, emergency response, and teamwork.

The camp maintains a 3:1 camper-to-counsellor ratio to ensure every participant has a safe and rewarding experience.

Here’s something that speaks volumes about the level of care: Camp He Ho Ha employs two nursing staff who provide care on a 24/7 basis whenever camps are in session, along with a certified lifeguard for the pool and waterfront. Housekeeping, dietary, maintenance, and grounds staff keep everything running behind the scenes.

This isn’t summer camp with a few accessibility features bolted on. It’s a purpose-built environment for people with disabilities, where the level of care and support is comparable to what families would expect from a professional care facility.

The values guiding every decision — from how staff are trained to how activities are adapted — are inclusion, dignity, safety, compassion, and respect. You feel those values the moment you arrive.

2026 Camp He Ho Ha Registration and Sessions

The 2026 camp season runs June 1 to August 21, with weeklong sessions designed for children, youth, adults, and seniors with disabilities. Age-based and specialized programs match each camper with the right experience.

Sessions fill quickly. Families across Alberta and Western Canada are encouraged to register early at camphehoha.com.

More Than a Summer Camp: Year-Round Facility Rentals

Camp He Ho Ha is a not-for-profit, non-denominational organization funded by the generous support of its community and donors. To offset the high cost of running camp programs, the facility operates year-round and welcomes more than 3,000 additional guests each year through its Facility Rental Program.

The site includes hotel-style and dormitory-style rooms, meeting rooms, a fully-equipped Medical Centre, and a commercial kitchen and dining hall with seating for 200.

If you run an Alberta business, lead a church group, or organize for a nonprofit, this is a venue worth considering. The setting is peaceful. The accommodations are fully accessible. The atmosphere is unlike any corporate retreat centre you’ve booked before. And — this is the part I love — 100% of the rental revenue is reinvested into camp programming. Every booking helps keep camp affordable for the families who need it.

Your team-building weekend literally helps send a camper to camp.

How You Can Support Camp He Ho Ha

Camp He Ho Ha is a registered not-for-profit, and there are several meaningful ways to help this Alberta disability camp continue its work:

Share the story. A lot of families across Western Canada have never heard of Camp He Ho Ha. Sharing a post, forwarding this blog, or mentioning it to someone who could use it — that’s real help.

Volunteer. Events, maintenance, special projects. Time and talent go a long way.

Donate. As a non-denominational not-for-profit, Camp He Ho Ha is sustained by community generosity. Donations directly support program affordability and accessibility for campers with disabilities. You can give online at camphehoha.com.

Book the facility. If your organization needs a retreat space, choose the one that gives 100% back to the kids, adults, and seniors who love this place.

The Last Word Goes to Wolf

I keep coming back to his sentence. When I am at camp, I don’t have a disability.

It isn’t that the disability disappears. It’s that, at Camp He Ho Ha, it stops being the most important thing in the room. What becomes important instead is whether you want to try the climbing wall, whether you’re up for driving the barge, or whether you’re in the mood to dance.

That’s what belonging looks like. And more than sixty years after the Kiwanis Club of South Edmonton first asked a provincial minister whether Albertans with disabilities deserved a camp of their own, the answer — quiet, beautiful, and unwavering — is still being lived out every summer on the shore of Lake Isle.

If you’ve got a family member who belongs at camp, get them registered. If your organization needs a meaningful place to gather, book it. And if you’ve just been moved by Wolf’s words like I was, share this post so someone else can be moved too.

Camp He Ho Ha has been doing this work for sixty years. Let’s help more people find their way there.

Learn more about Camp He Ho Ha, register for the 2026 season, or donate at camphehoha.com.

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Local Spotlight — Jodi Morel, Shine FM, and The Light

This post is part of the Local Spotlight series featuring the people, places, and organizations making a difference across our communities. The Local Spotlight is a collaboration between Jodi Morel, Shine FM, and The Light — celebrating stories of heart, purpose, and impact in Alberta.

Read more Local Spotlight features at jodimorel.com/localspotlight.