KSI Kamp Lenape Receives Community Reinvestment Grant and Grant in Aid Funding

Thanks to KSI Kamp Lenape, campers enjoyed several field trips and engaged in other exciting activities throughout the five week 2023 summer camp. Justin Haggerty can be seen utilizing a bowling ball ramp at the Milford Bowling Lanes while other campers and counselors experience the adventure of bowling. Community Reinvestment Grant funds and Grant in Aid funding from the State Legislature made renovations and camp improvements possible.

Kent Sussex Industries (KSI) received exciting news when the legislative session came to an end in June. A Community Reinvestment Grant of $249,000 provided funding to upgrade and repair the Kamp Lenape property, as well as fund the purchase of the property next door, expanding opportunities for future camps. KSI’s Grant in Aid funding, at $145,000, also supported needs at Kamp Lenape.

Kamp Lenape, originally a Union School built to provide educational opportunities for African American children, was purchased by United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware in the 1970s after the desegregation of schools. The organization used the facility for recreational programs for children with disabilities. In 2022, KSI purchased the property, taking over in 2023, and refurbishing structures and amenities to create a place not only for children with disabilities but also for other events to promote KSI’s mission.

Through the generation donations of local organizations and citizens, including Paige’s Kindness Project and the Knutsen family, volunteers spent countless hours working on the property. They fixed and painted picnic tables, removed roots, edged and planted flower beds, cleaned rooms and performed many other tasks necessary to prepare the property for campers. The renovations also included the addition of a sensory room for those campers who would need occasional “quiet space” during camp.

KSI is a not for profit agency, providing vocational training, employment, community integration, transportation, day habilitation, and nutritional services to individuals with disabilities throughout Kent and Sussex Counties.  KSI is committed to making all reasonable accommodations in order to ensure that our programs and services are as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. To learn more about KSI visit their web page at www.ksiinc.org or call Alicia Hollis, Director of Community Relations, at (302) 422-4014 ext. 3015 to schedule a tour. Like us on www.facebook.com/KSIWorks.