Camp BLISS Kids, Inc. (CBK) is a nonprofit 501C3 organization that provides wrap around services to children and families who struggle with various forms of mental health issues relating to co-occurring disorders which requires a dual diagnosis treatment to “build lifestyles with integrated solutions for success (BLISS)”. CBK defines wrap around services, as services that extend beyond the camp experience to assist both children and families once they return to their home environment. CBK offers prevention, early intervention, and treatment services in the areas of mental health, substance abuse, intellectual disabilities, development disabilities, and youth with significant behavioral cahllenges.

What makes CBK unique? It’s our mission to not merely focus on work with children, but the needs and mental health of parents and guardians. CBK Founder and CEO, Dawn S. Paramore, believes that you cannot merely work with children alone without parental engagement. Not engaging the entire family presents a variety of risk factors such as child maltreatment, children being misplaced from family homes and recidivism of household and parental issues. Ms. Paramore frequently compares lack of engagement to dry cleaning garments but re-introducing the improved clothing into the same environment. Overtime, without being worn, the clothing will return to its original state simply because the environment was not prepared for the return. Simply put, it is essential that parents, like children, be committed to the mental and total wellness of camp by participating in mandatory sessions.

The goal of CBK is to nurture and improve the lives of children, their families, and our communities impacted by the effects of mental illness, poverty, family stressors, depression, self- harming behaviors, substance abuse, intimate partner violence, and/or child abuse/neglect utilizing a multitude of effective therapeutic tools and interventions. The program will build protective factors for children, thus allowing the ability to reduce stressors that often lead to anxiety and depression. By taking children out of their natural environments, it enables them to become resilient through increasing their ability to effectively communicate feelings, wants, and needs. Peer interaction is equally essential to allow children to observe and mirror effective peer and adult interactions in the presence of positive adults. While children are learning lifelong skills, parents are also engaged in the parental session to strengthen their protective factors by addressing their needs (employment, resources, mental health, access to resources, substance abuse, etc).

Our Purpose: The purpose of Camp BLISS is to utilize a multitude of effective therapeutic tools and interventions in an effort to improve the lives of children and their families within our communities who are impacted by the effects of mental health, family trauma, gender identity, or sexual orientation challenges.

Our Mission: Building Lifestyles with Integrated Solutions for Success for children and families affected by mental health, family trauma, gender identity, or sexual orientation challenges.

Our Vision: To create an environment where children with mental health, family trauma, gender identity, or sexual orientation challenges feel loved, nurtured, and encouraged to live a purpose-filled life without judgement.

Our niche' provides Campers the opportunity to combine fun with diagnostic and therapeutic services and parents with the opportunity to receive training, resource referrals, and other additional services as needed.

Our Model: To “teach both parents and children to fish” thereby feeding them for life not just a day. Our programs, training, and workshops for parents, staff, and children will help eliminate risks factors for families, address trauma, and educate and build strong thriving communities.