Camp Josh was established in 2000 by a group of residents in memory of Josh Bader. Since then, the camp has become a place where disabled children and adults can go fishing and take part in outdoor education. It also helps disabled veterans try bear hunting.
In recent years, the camp has worked with the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District to offer outdoor education programs to troubled youth. In 2025, the camp helped a veteran complete a successful bear hunt.
“Unfortunately, Josh was not alive when that started,” said Eugene Lewis, president of Camp Josh. “So that’s why we’re trying to bring those outdoor activities to anyone who would like to use them.”
Camp Josh has participated in Copper Shores’ Giving Tuesday campaign for several years. Board President Eugene Lewis said the camp used 2025 campaign funds to install a foundation pad for a new learning center. In the fall, Camp Josh earned a grant to further support the project.
Lewis said the camp still has work to do to make the site accessible. “Besides that, we need to hard surface areas around the learning center so that people in wheelchairs have access,” he said. “Once we get the foundation under the cabin, we will have to insulate. We found out that to put the foundation on the cabin, we’re going to have to actually remove the deck, which we’re standing on, and the bathroom on the other side.”
Accessibility extends beyond programs. Camp Josh is creating off-road trails that track chairs can travel on, along with smooth paths for wheelchair users.
Lewis also said the camp’s hunting blinds must accommodate wheelchairs. “You have to have a good hard surface to it. You need to be able to get a wheelchair into it,” he said. “It gets to be a challenge when you don’t have that type of access. Even just gravel can make it difficult to move somebody.”
Camp Josh creates an outdoor space where people of any ability can enjoy time in nature.
Readers can learn more about Camp Josh on the camp’s refreshed website. The camp is one of close to 70 nonprofit causes in the Copper Country participating in the Copper Shores Community Health Foundation’s Giving Tuesday campaign. Since 2016, the campaign has raised more than $5.8 million, primarily through small individual donations. The foundation also matches donations with $200,000, split among participating nonprofits.
