DALTON, Ga. — Dalton native Mollie Snyder said she’s feeling more inspired and motivated after spending eight weeks as a camp counselor for Extra Special People, a camp for children and adults with disabilities in Watkinsville.

“Working at the camp was amazing,” Snyder said. “I saw there is a lot of good in the world, but you have to look at the bright side of things.”

“Extra Special People is the legacy of one woman who had a passion for children and young people with special needs and a vision of a place where they and their families could focus on their abilities instead of their disabilities,” its website states. “Martha Wyllie founded Extra Special in 1986, offering high-quality, affordable programs for people with different abilities.”

The camp serves individuals with behavior disorders such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, Asperger syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, Angelman syndrome and spina bifida.

This was Snyder’s first year working at the camp.

“It’s a wonderful place for staff and campers,” she said. “That place has given my heart so much joy to watch kids and adults come together to celebrate who they are.”

Snyder, 23, is a student at Dalton State College majoring in early childhood education. She plans to get a master’s degree in special education.

She learned about Extra Special People through her brother-in-law Jake Sapp, a coordinator of program operations.

“I went to a couple of their events and loved the atmosphere so I applied for the summer program,” she said.

At Extra Special People no disability is turned away, said Suzanne Rutledge, a spokeswoman for the camp.

“There might be a child with a rare disease or who needs a little extra attention, but they can still come to camp,” she said.

Rutledge said the staff provide campers with an “extra special experience.” She said at one time there were 25 participants, now there are more than 300.

“We service a 26-county area in northeast Georgia,” she said. “Our goal is to continue offering as many children the opportunity to experience summer camp no matter what their abilities are.”

Rutledge said working there is not just a summer job to earn extra money.

“It’s definitely a gift and we’re really proud of our buddies here,” she said.

Rutledge said the campers with special needs need their own counselor.

“We call them buddies because they truly become a best friend to campers,” she said. “The child knows that buddy like a sibling by the end of the week.”

She said campers and buddies are “joined at the hip.”

“For some that could mean encouraging them to do activities or helping with meals, but for others, they are trained to take care of the child based on their special need,” she said.

Rutledge said each year they have hundreds of volunteers during the school year.

“Our summer camp programs garner the most volunteers,” she said.

Rutledge said there are about 300 buddies during the summer, one for each camper.

“Some like Mollie are paid staff and work all summer and others are volunteers for a couple weeks,” she said.

Snyder said she’s thankful her supervisor gave her time off to work at the camp. She works at Eggceptional Donor Group in Dalton.

“I’m the egg donation coordinator and we work with parents and donors,” she said.

Snyder worked at Extra Special People from June 11 to Aug. 3 in the vocational unit and planned daily activities for campers.

“We packed boxes at a food bank, learned about finances at the bank, went shopping and cooked lunch for camp staff,” she said.

Snyder said adult campers toured the campus of the University of Georgia and spent the night in dorms.

Rutledge said staffers raised $3 million during a capital campaign a few years ago to expand space for the camp.

“There was a time we had one building and the capacity was too much,” she said. “We had a waiting list and our executive director Laura Whitaker made it her mission to expand the space so that no child would be turned away.”

The cost to attend the camp is $225 to $300 a week. Rutledge said one of their goals is to make sure parents only pay 25 percent of the actual cost. She said they spend about $800 to $1,000 per camper a week at Extra Special People.

“Raising a child with special needs is about 10 times more than a typical job,” she said. “That includes camps and after-school programs.”

Rutledge said the staff does a lot of fundraising and the camp has corporate sponsors.

“That helps us defray the cost of camp and after-school programs for families, so they only have to pay 25 percent of the actual cost,” she said.

Rutledge said it’s a “difficult but rewarding job.”

“Mollie is one of our best staffers,” she said. “You have to do it with your whole heart and she does.”

Snyder said Extra Special People “touches so many people.”

“It’s quite a haul (from Dalton) but I know there are people in Dalton that can benefit from it,” she said.

If you or someone you know might be interested in attending the summer camp or learning more about the organization, call (706) 769-9333.