Camp Zulu

                                                            
                                                          
Camp Zulu is an outreach/retreat for school-age children&siblings of veterans with a military service-connected diability or disabilities. We've have filed for 501 (c)(3) status through the IRS and are a non-profit organization located in Missouri. We will be making updates as everything progresses, so please refresh your browsers to have the most updated version of the page, thank you. Also we are in the process of updating our Bylaws to include the school-age children of injured First Responders and their families as well, thank you for your patience.

Every child deserves happy memories, Camp Zulu is designed for families and kids to just have fun while making new friends and memories. Camp Zulu is for kids 18 and younger and their families. Most kids do not know anyone in school who has a disabled veteran as a mom or dad, or as an older brother or sister and so forth. There tends to be extra stresses or worries in their lives compared to an average household, as sometimes our households can be more chaotic, several doctors appointments and limitations or slightly different than civilian counterparts at school. Our mission is to help provide the families with some outreach and support.

  Difficult experiences can be harder to cope with when it feels like no one, not even family or friends understands what you are going through. It can be even more difficult when you do not have a support network or a limited support network as well. Connecting with other veterans and their families, and reaching out for support can help to overcome isolation and increase enjoyment of life. We will help to increase enjoyment of life, by helping make happy and memorable moments in life and support.

 Our kids know what it's like to see their parent in physical pain, they even try to help sometimes and some apologize and it's not their fault, they just know you hurt and want to help or wished there was something they could do. But they see (even the best you hide it sometimes) and know we're not able to do all the things other parents the same age as their friends from school do, and just different things, it's part of their life, through the eyes of a child from the household of a disabled veteran. Sometimes they wish they could do more activities through school and such, but it is physically very hard on some of us veterans. Now with all the people abusing medication (doing the heroin now, counterfeit pills on black market too) or getting pills illegally, it's made it very difficult and hard for those of us in real severe physical pain to get treatment. Even those who do all treatments/surgeries to even try to get better along medication to help us, when it is all that is left that can help us if our bodies are that shot. Being in the military takes a toll on bodies, more than the average person to begin with more less getting hurt. Doctors are so reluctant and scared to treat their patients, as the government, outside groups have cracked down on doctors so hard they cannot even take care of their patients properly, or to even help the patient and their family have any decent quality of life. Even with all your documents, MRIs, imaging, reports, and so forth they feel they cannot treat their patients, or make their quality of life and then in turn their families better. It gets harder by the day, and some of us do every treatment available possible along with medication. We need to be able to clean, play with our kids, homework, do normal daily activities, it makes it hard to keep up especially with younger kids. It's not fair to our children or families that we're neglected. Some of us that have more than one child may have noticed different things when we had a 2nd child. Some have kids grow up in doctor's appointments all the time coming with us, or at the VA all day long and the drive. They've even been doing that with medications for PTSD for those who have panic/anxiety attacks/insomnia and need the medication, some of you may have experienced problems getting medication unlike before, they've cracked down on so many things that now affect us veterans and we've done nothing wrong, nor do we ask to be injured or in pain. It's like we're in a grey area, and they look at black and white and skip right over those of us in the middle, and it's taken a toll on quite a few of us of all ages. As they keep making new laws and stricter/tighter regulations, I hope they remember those of us who truly do treatment, and remember that most of these doctors also help people like us too, we defended this Country and deserve to be able to play with our children for God's sake. There is quite a bit that can stress a family at home and this is just one scenario above that adds fuel to the fire for some of us sadly. Anyways, there is just a lot of things that affect all of us when it comes to our kids, and most kids do not know another with a parent who is disabled from serving their Country, and all kids like to have fun, make new memories and have a family adventure,everyone deserves happy times.
                                                
                                           Thank you and thank you for your service!

                                                       http://www.campzulu.org