3 Siblings Have Spina Bifida. A Camp in Kentucky Gives Them a Place to Be Kids Without Judgement (Exclusive)

The fully accessible, 168-acre camp provides free programming for children living with disabilities and lifelong illnesses

NEED TO KNOW

• Siblings Sara, Lara and Caleb McClanahan were all born with spina bifida, a condition in which the spinal column does not properly fuse
• The teens, who require various levels of accommodations to meet their physical needs, attend a camp through the Center for Courageous Kids (CCK) every year
• At the camp, which is free of charge, the siblings can focus on having fun and making friends, while staff emphasize seeing children as individuals rather than through the lens of a diagnosis

Siblings Sara, Lara and Caleb McClanahan all have spina bifida — and their mom, Donna, says the condition has never defined them.

“They have no concept that they should feel bad about themselves for who they are,” Donna tells PEOPLE of her three adopted children. “They’re happy in their skin.”

For the McClanahan family, that same spirit of acceptance is part of what makes the Center for Courageous Kids (CCK) in Scottsville, Ky., so special.

From Sept. 11 to 13, Donna and her husband, John, will travel with Sara, 17, Lara, 14, and Caleb, 14, from their home in Corydon, Ind., to attend CCK’s Spina Bifida Family Retreat.

“When we come across the hill and see those blue roofs, it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s nowhere we’d rather be,’ ” Donna says.

The fully accessible, 168-acre camp provides free programming for children living with disabilities and lifelong illnesses and their families. Since opening in 2008, CCK says it has served 45,000 campers and their families from 46 states and 13 countries, representing more than 100 medical diagnoses.

For the McClanahans, one of the biggest gifts the camp offers is something many families might take for granted: ease.

Ordinary outings can require Donna and John to think ahead about everything from stairs and elevators to accessible parking and whether there will be enough room to deploy the ramp on the family’s van.

At CCK, they don’t have to worry.

“Everything was easy for us,” Donna says. “We don’t get to go anywhere that’s easy.”

That freedom also means Sara, Lara and Caleb can focus less on what accommodations they might need and more on just being kids.

The three siblings share the same spina bifida diagnosis, but the condition — in which the spinal column does not properly fuse in the womb — affects each of them differently.

Sara, who is nearing her 18th birthday, walks with an arm crutch and wears braces. An avid reader, she also runs a ministry through her church that collects donations for a local women’s resource center, where she volunteers.

She has also attended CCK’s independent summer camp, which her mom says was especially meaningful.

“Going to independent camp was a huge growth step for Sara,” Donna says. “She had abandonment issues to overcome, but CCK helped her feel secure.”

Lara, meanwhile, uses a wheelchair more frequently than her siblings and has undergone major back surgery roughly every two years since joining the McClanahan family. Donna says many of the procedures have lasted more than 12 hours.

But when it came to going to camp independently, Lara had no hesitation.

The teen is fiercely independent and intensely curious, according to her mom. She has a habit of becoming fascinated with a new subject, learning everything she can about it and then teaching the rest of the family before moving on to her next interest.

At CCK, however, Lara names a considerably more straightforward favorite activity: “Archery,” she says. “You get to get a bullseye there!”

Her brother, Caleb, walks with two arm crutches — although “walks” might not be the right word, according to Donna.

“He really runs with them,” she says. “We always laugh and say he walks with his arms, not his legs, because he’s full throttle.”

Caleb loves puzzles, building Lego models and animals, and regularly volunteers with an animal shelter and cat rescue to help socialize the animals.

At camp, he says he especially loves “meeting new friends” and “swimming in a pool.”

“I have a fun time,” Caleb tells PEOPLE. “I want to tell other kids that there will be activities, and I’d tell them that they’d meet new friends with all types of disabilities.”

For Donna, watching her children enjoy those experiences without being singled out can be particularly meaningful.

“My kids are totally different in personality, and the CCK staff take the time to figure that out,” Donna says.

Darren Dannelly, president and CEO of the CCK, says that individuality is central to the camp’s mission.

“A diagnosis may help us understand how to medically support a child, but it does not tell us who that child is,” Dannelly tells PEOPLE. “Our staff and volunteers take the time to learn what makes each camper laugh, what sparks their curiosity and what they want to try next.”

“At CCK, every child is known, celebrated, and included as an individual,” he continues. “We’ve loved watching Sara, Lara and Caleb try new things, make friends and grow in confidence over the years.”

The camp is also completely free to families — something especially significant for the McClanahans given the additional expenses that can accompany raising three children with medical and mobility needs.

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“At CCK, children with complex medical needs, their siblings and their parents can simply spend time together in a place designed for them, at no cost to their family,” Dannelly says. “Families do not have to explain why they need something different, because difference was anticipated and welcomed before they arrived.”

“For one weekend, families like the McClanahans get to just be a family,” he adds, “and children who are so often told what they cannot do discover all the things they can.”

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