Center for Courageous Kids opens Adventure Lodge Tree House

The Center for Courageous Kids (CCK) provides an opportunity for children with medical illnesses or disabilities to have the experience of going to camp.

Families come from around the world to bring their children to the camp in Scottsville.

"In the ten years that we've been seeing kids, we've seen kids from 49 states and 14 countries so it's not just a community thing, it's a nation-wide thing that we're so blessed to have here," said Shawn Perry, CCK's Board Chairman.

On Tuesday, during the first week of 2019 summer camps, both Bowling Green and Scottsville Chambers came to hold ribbon cuttings for CCK's first major expansion in 12 years -- a tree house called the "Adventure Lodge."

"This is just way more than I ever imagined we'd ever end up with. It's just really a blessing," said Perry.

The celebration drew a crowd of community members, contractors, and donors that helped make the expansion possible.

"We could not do it without all of those people so it's just an amazing thing to finally see come to fruition," said Sarah Keltner, CCK's Director of Communications and Special Events.

"We offer a year-round camping opportunity for kids that are suffering with a variety of illnesses and handicaps. So the children that get to come here to CCK, they get to take part in all of these amazing programs that we have going and we tailor each of them to fit each individual medical need," she added.

For campers, coming to CCK is free of charge. The camp already has several activities and programs including an indoor aquatic complex, arts and crafts, a bowling alley, a gym and rock climbing wall, a music room and more. Now, CCK also has a tree house for art and music therapy and nature programs.

"And what's more exciting than a tree house? You know, everyone has a little bit of a child inside of them and the idea that even handicap children can come here and be in a tree house and be in the middle of the trees is just so cool," said Perry.

He went on to say, "Children that don't get to experience things in their normal life, they get to experience them here."

Around 1,000 kids are expected to come to camp this summer and use this tree house. The tree house was a surprise for returning campers and Tuesday they got to see it for the first time.

CCK is also adding a miniature golf course. That is scheduled to open in 2020.