Intro to Camp Shriver

Camp Shriver is an inclusive sports camp for students with and without disabilities. This summer marks the program’s eighth year of service at UMass Boston and first year of service at Stonehill College. The program was named after Eunice Kennedy Shriver, mother of journalist Maria Shriver, for Eunice’s advocacy for children’s health and disability issues.

Approximately 120 students, 60 with disabilities and 60 without disabilities, are gathering at UMass Boston and Stonehill College to engage in athletic and creative activities. These activities will improve students’ motor and social skills. Camp Shriver makes it a mission to treat each camper equally.

The students are usually between the ages of eight and twelve, and they all attend schools in Boston, Brockton, and Quincy. Some of the students return when they’re older to serve as counselors, while other counselors are usually UMass Boston students that are majoring in psychology.

The program’s director is Mark Spolidoro, who worked as a physical education teacher for Boston Public Schools (BPS) for 19 years. According to Spolidoro, “The students build strong bonds, which set the stage for them to enjoy being kids.”

As a young child, Spolidoro camped with his family and participated in many outdoor activities. As an adult, he saw how the lure of technology sometimes makes kids choose to stay indoors on computers and gaming devices instead of being active outside. He wants students in urban settings to, like him, have a positive camping experience and develop strong bonds with other campers.