MARYLAND (WBFF) — A Candyland-themed camp in Maryland is giving children with limb differences a place to try new things, make friends, and have fun in an environment designed just for them.
Camp Open Arms, now in its 12th year, is held July 27-31, 2026, at Camp Running Bear in Monkton.
The free camp featured games, candy-based science experiments, a trunk-or-treat, a giant sugar s’mores slide and a “marshmallow-madness” foam party, along with arts and crafts, bingo, swimming, water-balloon games, swings, a ropes course and daily ice cream treats.
“We always try to plan activities that are fun but also educational, so we are really excited about this year’s Science Candy Extravaganza, where the campers will use candy to perform cool science experiments,” said the camp’s founder, Dr. Joshua Abzug, MD, Deputy Surgeon-in-Chief at the University of Maryland Golisano Children’s Hospital and Professor of Orthopedics and Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Camp Open Arms is a collaboration between the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital and the University of Maryland Department of Orthopedics.
The camp is funded by donations from individuals and organizations and staffed by volunteers.
About 2,000 children are born in the U.S. with limb differences each year.
Organizers said more than 75 children from Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida, and several other states signed up this year, making it the largest number ever.
Children with limb differences often are teased or feel like they can’t do things that other kids can do. They are often the target of bullying,” Dr. Abzug said. “This is a safe place where they are accepted and can try some things they thought they couldn’t do.
For more information on Camp Open Arms, visit Camp Open Arms – University of Maryland Medical System Foundation.
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