My family came to The Painted Turtle this past weekend to attend their holiday party. It was our first time attending, as every time we try to go, something else is always scheduled the same weekend we want my son to attend camp, or the family weekend camp. This is such a lovely camp, really well maintained and wheelchair accessible. The entire staff we came across were super friendly and happy that you can't help but be happy too. There were so many activities for us to do, that we didn't even get to finish everything we wanted to do like archery, building a cookie house, arts and crafts, etc. I wish we were able to come sooner so we could have more time to do more fun things! (I think I had more fun than my son did to be honest). As a scouting family, I've been to numerous scout camps and I honestly think this is actually better than some of the BSA camps I've been to in terms of activities and facilities - and the food was great too. They accommodate for special diets which was awesome for my son's gluten free diet. This is such a special place, and we are lucky that The Painted Turtle exists to give special needs kids the opportunity to enjoy the camping experience. I hope that my son and our family can return for a family weekend camp in the future! read more

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Wonderful, well maintained campus! The volunteers truly care for the camp and campers. Happy to support great cause read more

The Painted Turtle - Paul Newman good guy - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Lake Hughes, California

FIVE YEARS later and we are still attending Painted Turtle. As a Family and our daughter for the Summer Session. The Painted Turtle has been nothing but great!!! Tim and Katie are so awesome!!! They truly love their job and you can totally feel it!! All the new and old Volunteers are awesome!! We love Painted Turtle!! We just went for Fall Family Session and want to go back!! Thank you to everyone who makes it possible for my daughter to experience these moments! read more

If I could give zero stars, I would. Please DO NOT support The Painted Turtle! Let me explain why; for years I supported The Painted Turtle up here in Lake Hughes near where I live. I always thought it was really great what they were doing for the kids, and I enjoyed going to their benefit concerts. Sadly, two really ugly encounters with two of the executive staff, Jessica Santos and April Tani, have left a permanent bad taste in my mouth, and as a result, I will no longer support this place. Since I live locally by The Painted Turtle camp, in the latter part of September they let their members know either through e-mail or by posting fliers locally that tickets are available, including a certain amount of discounted local tickets. Since I am disabled and on a very limited income, I cannot afford to go to concerts. I do make an exception for the Neil Young Benefit concert at the Painted Turtle, especially since I can get the discounted locals ticket. Unfortunately, Jessica Santos, who is in charge of ticket sales/fundraising, completely dropped the ball on things. In the end of September, I put in a request for my discounted locals ticket. I heard absolutely nothing from Jessica, so I responded again and put in another ticket request, and again, I heard nothing, so I e-mailed her just to make sure. Again, nothing. So on this last Tuesday, I e-mailed her asking her why I haven't heard anything from her regarding my discounted locals ticket. She e-mails me back claiming she sent it, and I responded that I never received it, and this was after I had checked all my folders, including spam and deleted. I just NEVER received it, period. I relayed this to her, and that is when she became snarky, rude, an unprofessional(like she wasn't unprofessional already?). She let me know it was sent to me and that it was not her fault if I didn't get it on my end. Then all of a sudden I get a copy of the supposed e-mail from October 6th that had my ticket code and the link to purchase the ticket, which was no longer any good. She then replied rudely, well, I see you have found the e-mail I sent you on the 6th, and at that point I had just had enough of her nonsense. I had explained to her I am disabled, on a fixed income, cannot pay $250 for the regular priced tickets, that I barely had enough for the $125 discounted ticket. She could've cared less, said there was nothing she could do, there were no more discounted tickets, just buy a regular ticket, and do keep supporting the Painted Turtle. Seriously? How rude! Apparently Jessica Santos feels because of the position she is in it has gone to her head and put her on some sort of power trip. She should definitely NOT be in charge of tickets and fundraising, and someone who is mature, professional, decent and responsible should be in her position instead. Because of her irresponsibility and negligence I cannot go, and my friends were coming in from out of town for the show to attend with me. Since this was completely unacceptable, I then contacted April Tani, who is the head of the board of executives for the Painted Turtle. I left a voice-mail for her explaining what had happened, and that hopefully we can rectify this situation, but she was no better than Jessica Santos. The same rude, unprofessional, snarky, condescending attitude, and she could've cared less about what happened. When I explained to her that I live right by the camp and have always supported it, in a condescending tone she asked, "So tell me, just HOW have you supported the Painted Turtle?" Like why should it matter just how I supported it? Like she was trying to see how much money I had given them? Both her and Jessica's attitude is "we're better than you, so too bad so sad you aren't getting a ticket because you're poor and disabled". So in the end I gave her a piece of my mind and hung up; April Tani, Jessica Santos and their ilk think they are better than the locals up here who support the Painted Turtle, as well as those who are not rich celebrities, etc., that they suck up to. April Tani, Jessica Santos, the board of executives and all the higher-ups at the Painted Turtle do not live up by the camp in Lake Hughes. They are all working down in the Santa Monica office and live in or near there, and they all look down their noses at the locals up here. The Painted Turtle makes no effort to reach out to the local community whatsoever, they also do not hire anyone locally here either, and stay behind their gates with the attitude of us vs. them. There are a lot of good people up here, but according to these people we're all crud. They are also not all-inclusive like they claim on their site; they exclude a lot of kids who apply for the camp. Not exactly following Paul Newman's vision he had for this place. Neil Young would be disgusted also. I was so looking forward to going, now that has been completely ruined. I will never again support the Painted Turtle, and please don't you either. read more

The Painted Turtle - What the executive board and their ilk at the Painted Turtle are really like. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Lake Hughes, California

Going for first time to the Harvest Moon Festival featuring Neil Young, Stephen Stills, & John Mayer in a benefit concert for the Bridge School. This is the second year running the Harvest Moon Festival has been staged in this outdoor venue. Fabulous lineup - hopefully the event will be great - high hopes read more

This is from a volunteers' perspective and we all thought it was truly amazing. Everyone should do it at least once and you will see the impact you will have on these children. I am going to make it a point to go at least 3 times a year. I have done the volunteering through my company but you can find out more here. http://thepaintedturtle.org/volunteers/ Such a great cause! I'm hooked for life! read more

I had the pleasure and privilege to work and volunteer here for 5 years. An incredible, life-change experience serving a population of fantastic children. The ability of this place to attract amazing people from all over the world and selflessly come together to truly create magic for those kids who encounter extraordinary challenges cannot be understated. The Painted Turtle is good for the soul and an indictment of what humanity is capable of achieving. read more

Most incredible place in the world !!! And I would bet the staff and volunteers have as many good experiences as the children they serve !! read more

At the risk of tooting my own horn, I'm going to try and write a review for this incredibly magical place without blowing too much smoke (as I'm a former summer staff and current volunteer). From the moment I drove though the gates on Lake Hughes road, I knew I was in for an amazing experience. After an emotional roller-coaster of a day driving from my last day of student teaching to my first day as a camp counselor, I was immediately embraced and welcomed by the incredible staff. The compete joy, excitement, care, and dedication was emanating from each of them as they made me feel at home. As the summer raged on, we repeated this process eight times from some of the most incredibly amazing and inspirational campers on the face of the planet. The campers lived with chronic and/or terminal illnesses ranging from kidney and liver problems (and transplants), to Crohn's and Colitis, skeletal dysplasia (little people), rheumatic diseases and arthritis, to hemophilia and limb deficiency. Not only did we give them the summer camp adventure of a life time, we gave it to them in a way that made them feel normal (a testimony I received from quite a few of my campers). You see, here at the Painted Turtle, the campers are able to spend the week with 100+ campers who share their same illnesses and experiences in an environment tailored to enable them to do what "the normal kids do" and SUCCEED in doing so. Wheelchair bound and want to go up on the high ropes course? No problem! We're trained and able to accommodate your in your new adventure. Afraid to get messy and dirty or eat without using your hands? No trouble at all! We host a weekly Silly Olympics aimed at covering everyone in paint and goop, and don't forget no-hands spaghetti dinner! Love to dance? You got it!!! We end every meal with a crazy dance party! The Well Shell is a fully equipped medical center that can handle anything and everything, only it's disguised as a jungle, under the sea, and Sponge Bob and staffed by an incredible nursing team. Giving the campers the environment and chance to succeed is an incredible and empowering experience. They spend a week challenging themselves to try new things, pushing themselves to the extreme in a safe environment. Telling them "yes you can" and then watching them prove that they can is heartwarming and life-changing. We often get told stories of how camp impacts the campers' lives over the week, but it doesn't end there. For most, camp is a memory to reflect back on, a warm-fuzzy to go back to at school or in the hospital. The true power of camp comes out during Family Weekends when the whole family attends camp and gets to experience the magic together. Parents and siblings get to have the time of their lives too. Being able to talk to the parents and revisit friendships with the campers is an awesome experience, its camp compressed into a weekend! This camp is truly an incredible place. One of my camper's mother shared this with me, "[my son] was at his worst a year ago. We were afraid to even think of the future, ultimately knowing what it may hold. The was a glimmering light of hope at the end of the tunnel, and it was a turtle. Camp memories lined the walls of his hospital room. Camp songs lifted his spirits. Visits from the camp staff brought camp into the hospital room. CAMP SAVED HIS LIFE." I could literally go on for days about how amazing this place is, but I urge you to check it out for yourself by volunteering for a Family Weekend during the year of a full week of camp during the summer. You won't regret it! GOTTA LIVE THE MAGIC!!! read more

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My daughters first time this year for JA camp and SHE LOVED IT! Every single staff member and camp counselor were amazing. I love how welcoming everyone was. This place is amazing and does amazing things for the children. I will definitely be applying again next year because my daughter will not let me forget. Our family appreciates everything you've done Painted Turtle!!! read more

Hi! :D I'm a 12 year old girl that has Lupus and no one understands me... I'm feeling horrible, but since I'm not puking, they think I'm just a crybaby. This year I'm joining the camp. My mom found the camp on twitter and I looked at it like, 'Nice. I wish I could get in there.' Days later, I emailed admissions and asked about getting in. She showed me the online application and I tried to do it with mom and dad's help. Finally, I made the application and luckily got in! I was happy. But now I'm so much happier of seeing all these reviews and thinking about how fun and safe the camp will be. I will finally be able to have fun without having to stay inside because of the sun, or I will be able to get muddy and dirty! I'm just so happy and excited. If there's any counselor reading this, I hope to see you there! =) Greetings! Alana read more

I knew it as Munoz lake. We chased the ducks in gooey mud, swam in the swimming pool, many summer dances. Met the visiting campers learned of cities we never heard of. Terrific place to grow up around now the change to the Painted desert. It's still brining comfort to young children but in a different way. read more

Painted Turtle is truly amazing. The camp is well run and completely runs on private donations. My son looks forward to camp all year, where for three days he feels special and lucky. Thank you, as always for this amazing camp. read more

I understand that this camps goal is to make medically fragile children feel like an average kid. But since they got their new director it sounds like they are discriminating against children who they think are too medically fragile. I have heard of at least two pediatric transplant patients who have been denied entry to the camp. The funny thing is one of the kids denied has been to the camp before with no issues but since the new director came in he is now no longer allowed to attend. I really think this camp director need to read the camps mission statement or at least revise it so that these kids know way ahead of time that they will be denied entry so they're not crushed when they find out they can't go at the last minute! read more

this place is truly amazing my sister has spinabfida and she doesnt always get to do things that other kids do and is constantly stared at in the real world but here this place feels le home to her she loves being here and not looked at with a disability but with something that makes her stand out to be the amazing person that she is , she lovesthe painted turtle and so do we! read more