Community Camp Corporation

We provide transformational peer-led camp experiences designed to improve physical well-being and develop each participant’s social, emotional, and leadership skills.

Mountain Respite Camp (MRC) was founded in 2005 to provide a retreat for individuals and families facing health challenges. For years, MRC operated through various organizations without its own 501(c)(3) status or a fiscal sponsor. In 2017, Community Camp Corporation was established to provide MRC with a stable foundation and the capacity to grow.

Community Camp Corporation was also designed to develop future camp programs for groups such as veteran families and mental health workers, furthering its mission of fostering healing and connection through nature.

Mountain Respite Camp offers a sanctuary for individuals and families facing physical, mental, or emotional health challenges. In the healing embrace of nature, campers find rest, connection, and resilience through tailored activities and a supportive community.

Participants leave with reduced stress, renewed hope, and tools to face life’s challenges, creating ripples of positivity in their families and communities.

Peers in this community are prone to isolation. Many of our participants spend most of the year behind closed doors leading to health issues. Many have never been out of the city or get a chance to vacation. Our Mountain Respite Camp is the only way for them to enjoy themselves without limitations and to meet new friends.

Orange County, California

I remember Shannon Peterson, the founder of Mountain Respite Camp (MRC), persistently encouraging me to attend, assuring me I would enjoy every minute and that my involvement could inspire others as well. By then, she was one of my most trusted friends, and having founded MRC just a few years earlier, she had already created something deeply meaningful for individuals living with mental health conditions. At the time, I didn’t want to go, I couldn’t imagine how such a strong sense of community would change my life in the way it ultimately did. Years later, taking a leadership role with MRC has become more than a labor of love; it is part of who I am. Working in the mental health system is often about balance, and the philosophy behind MRC is different, offering five days in a beautiful, supportive environment where nothing is coerced and everything is optional. Watching someone enjoy themselves on their own terms is a powerful reminder of what makes us human, and after the deep void left when the camp paused during COVID, I am grateful to play any role in helping MRC reach even more people now that it has returned.

Danny Gibbs