Norwood Park’s Illuminated Brew Works will host a fundraiser to support Camp Indigo Point, a summer camp dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth. The event is scheduled for February 4 from 6:30-8 p.m., and proceeds will help provide scholarships for campers who need financial assistance.
Camp Indigo Point was established in 2021 with the aim of offering a safe environment where LGBTQ+ young people can build community and enjoy nature. Sean, a North Side resident who requested his last name not be published for privacy reasons, shared how he learned about the camp through news coverage and introduced it to his daughter after she came out.
“Our daughter had just come out, and she’d never been to summer camp, she’d never wanted to do anything like that. But when we told her about Camp Indigo, she was like, ‘Well, I want to do that,’” Sean said.
He noted that after attending the camp, his daughter made new friends and felt more connected. “Really just came into her own and started to feel more like she was part of a community,” he added. Both of Sean’s daughters have now attended the camp.
Each summer, Camp Indigo Point welcomes children entering second through eleventh grade at its southern Illinois location. Activities include outdoor games such as the “Gay-mazing Race” relay, queer prom, ballroom dancing, book club sessions focused on queer literature, and music lessons.
Dan Grabel, co-founder of Camp Indigo Point, reported that last year about 140 campers and 60 staff members participated. The camp attracts youth from across the country—representing 20 states.
“At Camp Indigo Point in particular, many kids are coming in with some with serious mental health struggles, whether it’s related to having been bullied or just struggling with their own identity,” Grabel said. “And I think being outdoors is helpful. I think being around 140 other people who understand them is incredibly helpful. I think being around 60 adults who are queer and can talk to them about their experiences is incredibly helpful.”
Grabel has worked alongside co-founder Andy Brown since the late 1990s directing summer camps. In 2010 they purchased land near Benton in downstate Illinois and opened Camp Manitowa. When regular programming paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, they rented cabins via Airbnb; this led to feedback from visiting homeschoolers suggesting an LGBTQ+ focused camp.
“I thought that was a really cool idea,” Grabel said.
Grabel then collaborated with Shira Berkowitz—a former employee—and Rabbi Daniel Bogard from St. Louis to launch Camp Indigo Point in summer 2022.
“We were hoping to get maybe 25 kids to show up, but word got out through different networks, and we had about 100 kids that first summer,” Grabel said.
The main objective of the camp is for participants to be surrounded by supportive peers and adults who understand their experiences.
In addition to Norwood Park’s event, fundraisers are planned in Kansas City; Milwaukee; and Bloomington, Indiana over coming weeks. At Illuminated Brew Works’ gathering parents and campers will share personal stories while staff answer questions about the program.
Sean emphasized his appreciation for trained counselors on staff as well as continuous security measures at the camp: “It’s become a very important part of our family tradition,” he said. “Dan and the folks who’ve started this space have done it with all the right intentions, and they’re doing all they can to make sure it is a safe place, which really means a lot right now.”
More information about Camp Indigo Point can be found on its website.
