When Camp Awareness was founded in 1998, autism was not nearly as well-known as it is today. "When my son was diagnosed, 1 in 10,000 (births) were the numbers," according to Sue Hansen, camp founder and director.

Earlier that year, Hansen spent a frustrating few days at Cub Scout camp with son Sean, then 9, whose behavior was a source of bewilderment to the other boys and parents. "I spent my whole weekend explaining -- it's all I did. And it wasn't fun for him," she said.

Afterward, she vowed to find a place where children like Sean could feel safe and accepted. After doing some research, she started Camp Awareness in Noblesville. Aware that many autistic children didn't even know of their diagnosis, she didn't want to create a stigma by using autism in the name. However, she wanted to make the public more aware of their condition, which now affects about 1 in every 250 children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Today, Camp Awareness is run by Hansen and a team of adult volunteers over a two-week period at the Boys & Girls Club campground in Noblesville. Every summer, it takes in about 180 campers, ranging in age from 6 to 50. Day camp and overnight programs are available.

Regardless of age, a volunteer "buddy" is assigned to almost every camper. These buddies, youths who are recruited and receive some training, help the campers with activities and also offer support and guidance when needed.

"They give you a packet telling you what to do and not to do, and ways to be calm around them and help them through their day," explained Michael Kovatch, 18, a buddy.

Y-Press recently talked to campers and staff members at Camp Awareness: buddies Heather Boyd, 15; Natalie Diaz, 17; Jake Willard, 13; Zachary Hansen, 10; and Michael; and campers Lorraine Papczynski, 9; Alan Morris, 8; and Clark Elliott, 10.

For campers, the days are full. Each day has a theme, such as music, as well as plenty of typical camp activities, such as swimming, crafts and science experiments.

"There's usually a game similar to tag," said Michael. "One time we did owls and mice, where the owls would then go tag the mice 'cause we were studying the diets of owls and that was part of it."

"It's usually about fun and everything," Lorraine added. "Like when we do science and stuff, your buddies can help, but you usually have to do it yourself."

Lorraine liked the sandbox and cooking best, and she and Alan said their favorite activity was swimming. "My favorite class was swimming, but it usually took me a while to get used to the water," Alan said.

There is a quiet place for campers who start to feel overwhelmed. Called the calm room, it's filled with activities such as Play Doh and Silly Putty. "Like if you ever have a toothache, it feels good to rock, and that's kind of what kids with autism do. They sit down and do a repetitive motion to calm themselves down," Hansen said.

The camp fulfills Hansen's vision of a place where autistic children can be themselves without being made fun of.

"At this camp, if you see someone crying or throwing a fit, it's just a normal thing, and you would see it several times a day," said Heather. "No one really makes a big deal out of it, whereas at school if they were doing that, maybe people wouldn't like them."

"I like camp because it makes me fit in," Alan said.

"You get more attention and everything," Lorraine added.

Camp Awareness also gives the campers an opportunity to make new friends.

"I really want to go back this year, and it's probably because I have a new friend, James," said Clark.

Camp Awareness welcomes children with varying degrees of autism. "I worked with two different levels of children with autism at the camp, and one could not speak at all. I had to use pictures to communicate with him. And then the other was just so verbal and wanted to hug me," said Natalie. "It's awesome just to be able to hang out and have fun with them 'cause I'm not around kids that much. It was amazing just how sweet they were."

Heather said the campers gave her a new outlook. "They wanted to share their world with you and were always trying to explain things," she said. "They were really concerned about you."

Others learned an appreciation for all kinds of people.

"My experience at Camp Awareness affected me by making me look at people in a different light. I thought that (people with autism) had something wrong with them. But when I went to camp, I figured out that they were just like everybody else," Zachary said.

"My camper was Colby, and Colby was known for running," said Jake. "I had to chase after him a lot. It was fun 'cause Colby was a neat kid. I sort of got the impression that he was a lot smarter than I was."

"They all get something out of it," Hansen said. "For the buddies -- the growth that I saw in those kids over the week is . . . pretty awesome. And the parents have a safe place for kids to go. And then the campers are able to go and have fun. Everybody wins."

REPORTER: Cakey Worthington, 12.