Let's Build Skills – Teens & Young Adults

Growing Skills • Building Confidence • Creating Community

KennedyStrong Foundation is excited to announce our 2026 Let’s Build Skills Summer Camps, offering multiple weeks across the greater Charlotte area. Our camps are designed to empower friends with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through skill-building, social connection, and fun, hands-on experiences.

Let’s Build Skills is a pop-up weekly summer camp hosted in multiple Charlotte-area locations. Teens and young adults, age 13-25+ will enjoy a fun, safe environment to continue growing in life skills, social skills, communication, teamwork, and movement.

2026 Camp Locations

  • Lake Norman Area – Storyhill Church (Davidson)

  • North Charlotte – Bradford Preparatory School (Concord)

  • South Charlotte – Phillips Academy

  • North Cabarrus – Location pending

Camp Weeks

  • June 8–12 – Bradford Preparatory School

  • June 15–19 – Storyhill Church

  • June 22–26 – Phillips Academy

  • July 6–10 – Location pending

  • July 13–17 – Storyhill Church

  • July 20–24 – Bradford Preparatory School

Daily Activities & Experiences

Each day campers will engage in:

  • 🎯 Individual life skills focus
  • 🎵 Musical interaction and rhythm activities
  • 🍎 Food prep & healthy snack creation
  • 🍽️ Table Manners & Dinner Conversation practice
  • 🎨 Crafts & creative projects
  • 🔬 STEM activities
  • 🏃 Body movement & group exercise
  • 🥘 Thursday Take-Home Sheet Pan Dinner (prepared by campers to share with their families)
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Weekly Community Experiences

  • 🛒 Grocery store field trip
  • 🏢 Weekly Local business tour to explore work environments and job possibilities
  • 🎭 Friday Family Expo – Families are invited to celebrate the end of the week with a Live Interactive Variety Show Friday at 2:00-3:00pm, performed by the participants, showcasing their growth, talents, teamwork, and confidence built throughout the week.

Each week the camp is led by local EC educators with years of experience teaching friends with IDD, along with high school volunteers to encourage social interaction and peer connections.

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Registration Opens: March 1
Weekly Cost: $295

Let's Build Skills Registration

Fill this out to begin the application process and/or have someone reach out to share more information about our program.

Name of Participant
Name of Parent or Care-Giver

Educational Background

2026 Camp Sessions & Locations

Please select the weeks you are interested in.
Please select the weeks you are interested in

Parent / Care-Giver Information

Do you think your employer would be interested in learning more about this program for potential partnership opportunities?

Communication Preferences

Please send me future emails regarding KennedyStrong Foundation

Photographic Release

Participant and/or Guardian do hereby consent that their photograph may be taken or their image digitally recorded while engaged in work for or with KSF and do hereby grant and convey unto KSF all right title and interest in any and all photographic images and video or audio recordings made by KSF during the Participant’s work for KSF including but not limited to any royalties proceeds or other benefits derived from such photographs or recordings.
Photographic Release Consent

Waiver and Release

The Participant and/or Guardian desire that the Participant participate and engage in KSF activities. The Participant and/or the Guardian understand that the activities may include mild to moderate fitness activities with oversight, meal preparation activities, and social interaction (“KSF Activity”). The Participant and/or Guardian do hereby freely, voluntarily, and without duress execute this Release under the following terms:

1. Waiver and Release. Participant and/or Guardian do hereby release and forever discharge and hold harmless KSF and its successors, Board of Directors, partners, sponsors, employees, agents, and assigns from any and all liability whatsoever, suits, claims, and demands of whatever kind or nature, either in law or in equity, which arise or may hereafter arise from Participant participating in a KSF event or KSF Activity. Participant and/or Guardian understands that this Release discharges KSF from any liability or claim that the Participant and/or Guardian on behalf of Participant may have against KSF with respect to any bodily injury, personal injury, illness, death, or property damage that may result from Participant’s work for KSF whether caused by the negligence of KSF or its officers, directors, employees, or agents or otherwise. Participant and/or Guardian also understand that KSF does not assume any responsibility for or obligation to provide financial assistance or other assistance including but not limited to medical, health, or disability insurance in the event of injury or illness. Participant and/or Guardian release KSF and forever discharge and hold harmless KSF and its successors, Board of Directors, partners, sponsors, employees, agents from any claim, suit, or demand for or injury to person or property or for wrongful death whether such claim is based on an anticipated planned activity or not.

2. Medical Treatment. Participant and/or Guardian do hereby release and forever discharge KSF from any claim whatsoever that arises or may hereafter arise on account of any first aid treatment or service rendered in connection with the Participant’s work for KSF or with the decision by any representative or agent of KSF to exercise the power to consent to medical or dental treatment as such power may be granted and authorized in the Parental Authorization for Treatment of a Minor Child.

3. Assumption of Risk. The Participant and/or Guardian understand that there are potential dangers in any activity including KSF Activities. Participant and/or Guardian hereby expressly and specifically assume the risk of injury, harm, or death in these activities and release KSF from all liability for injury, illness, death, or property damage resulting from the activities for the Participant’s work for KSF.

4. Other. Participant and/or Guardian expressly agree that this Release is intended to be as broad and inclusive as permitted by the laws of the State of North Carolina and that this Release shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of North Carolina. Participant and/or Guardian agree that in the event that any clause or provision of this Release shall be held to be invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity of such clause or provision shall not otherwise affect the remaining provisions of this Release which shall continue to be enforceable.

5. Field Trips. Each camp is scheduled to take 2 field trips into the community. Campers will ride in a bus to a local grocery store on Tuesday and then travel to a local IDD staffed business on Wednesday. Field trips will be about 2 hours in total length. At the grocery store we will tour the entire store behind the scenes as well as use the time to shop for the ingredients we will be using in our food prep time that week.

6. Medical Disclosure. I hereby certify that I do not have any injuries, disabilities, or physical limitations that would impair my abilities while participating in the KSF program. I have listed below any previous injuries, disabilities, or physical limitations that would restrict me from performing the daily tasks asked of me. I have also notified a staff person of these injuries, disabilities, or physical limitations. Please list and explain.
Waiver and Release Agreement
$0.00
Billing Address

Important Registration Information

Parents are responsible for providing $295 per week for program registration fees and lunch for their individual.

Donations are welcomed and appreciated but not expected to offset these expenses for families.

Families may apply for scholarships.
KennedyStrong Foundation grants one scholarship per week of camp.