Camp is a dream come true for individuals with disabilities

In the decade Connor Dzembo went to Dream Oaks Camp run by Foundation for Dreams, an east Manatee County nonprofit dedicated to individuals with special needs, he loved everything that makes summer camp summer camp: archery, horseback riding, canoeing; basketball, too, and the occasional foam party. The one thing he didn’t like: crafts. Too boring, says his mom, Samantha Dzembo, and too much inside time.

Connor, with a rare genetic condition called ataxia telangiectasia, which affects the nervous and immune systems, especially loved the talent show and karaoke singalongs. His favorite band to sing? Imagine Dragons. “He wouldn’t do that in front of his mom,” Samantha says, smiling. But he never missed a chance to grab the microphone and, mom adds, “just go for it.” 

Now 18, the summer of 2025 is the first one since Connor was 8 years old that he hasn’t attended a week-long or overnight session at Dream Oaks Camp. But the coming-of-age experiences, combined with the independence and confidence he gained, Samantha says, was life-changing. The experience was significant for Samantha, too. “To be able to drop him off and have the full confidence he is going to be well-supported and taken care of …that’s priceless.”

While Connor is aged out of Dream Oaks, the camp, for kids ages 7 to 17, keeps on churning out memories for dozens of kids like Connor and comfort for parents like Samantha. It’s what motivates Foundation for Dreams Executive Director Elena Cassella. “Raising a child is hard,” Cassella says, but “raising a child with special needs can be super-challenging.” 

Rye not

Now Foundation for Dreams, with $2.77 million in assets in its most recent fiscal year according to public tax filings, is on the cusp of expanding its mission with what Cassella calls Dream Oaks Camp 2.0. 

This centers on a move from space the Boy Scouts provided at Camp Flying Eagle off Upper Manatee River Road to a formerly abandoned compound on 62 acres next to Rye Preserve in Parrish. Manatee County owns the 62-acre site, formerly occupied by the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches. Manatee officials handed over the site to the foundation last summer, in a partnership that will include the county reimbursing the organization up to $1 million for remodeling the buildings up to ADA standards. 

The move to 751 Rye Wilderness Trail, several years in the making, is a win for Foundation for Dreams on several fronts: more space for programs; more capacity to expand the range of ages of people it serves; and more attention for the work the camp and the foundation, Cassella says, do in their mission to help individuals develop more productive behaviors, meaningful relationships and a more comprehensive profound skillset. That last part is to help bring in more donors and raise money, something Cassella says is one of her biggest challenges. 

The Rye property includes a multipurpose building, maintenance building, learning center, three cottages, two houses, a pool and a basketball court. The structures were built between 1991 and 2001 and sat deserted for two years. When the foundation took over the property, the parking lot had cracks, the road to the cottages was dirt, and the sidewalks didn’t connect to the buildings. 

Cassella says rehabbing the facility is a five-year project expected to cost up to $2.5 million, and a capital campaign has been launched to fund it. The work also requires some sweat equity: crews of volunteers — including veterans from Team Rubicon and members of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance — are clearing debris, repairing roofs and readying the site for ADA-compliant renovations.

Photo by Mark Wemple

It’s a big cost, with a big payoff: The upgrade will allow the camp to increase its residential camper capacity from 45 to more than 60 people per session, while maintaining its hallmark 3-to-1 camper-to-staff ratio. In addition to ADA compliance in buildings and on sidewalks, plans include resurfacing parking lots, relocating cabins from the old site, constructing a $250,000 playground and adding a ropes course. The organization has some 60 employees, a number expected to rise as the camp grows.

For the love

One aspect of the foundation and camp that Cassella is most proud of is progress. Children who attend Dream Oaks Camp have more than 136 different diagnoses, including autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, ADHD and rare genetic conditions. Each camper sets two personalized goals upon arrival, from learning new social skills to gaining independence in daily routines. About 99% of children make progress toward their goals, she says. 

Cassella grew up in Bradenton — the oldest of seven kids — and graduated from Manatee High School. She worked for the Manatee County School District as an instructional coach for inclusivity in the classroom for 17 years before taking a position in fundraising for Foundation for Dreams in 2010. During her first year at Foundation for Dreams, revenue grew 300%. She was named executive director of the foundation in 2014.

Cassella says the work she and her colleagues do is both humbling and rewarding. “I have always been an advocate for children,” she says. “When you look and actually see the gains being made, it’s really beautiful to see the success.”

“You’re not going into this to make a lot of money; people don’t go into this field to make a lot of money,” she adds. “They go into this kind of work so they could have something that lights their fire.”