Mission
Camp Cole is a camp and retreat in the South Carolina Midlands community to create a safe, accessible and inspirational gathering place where groups can connect, share, encourage and shine.
Inspire people to share challenges, embrace one another.
Our Story
In 2004, the Sawyer family faced the unimaginable, the loss of their son, Cole at the young age of 11 to cancer. In 1998, Margaret Deans Fawcett lost her closest childhood friend, Elizabeth Helms, to the same dreadful disease.
Fast forward to 2009, these two families are brought together by a summer camp for children with cancer and their siblings.
Through their loss of loved ones, a fiery passion for helping others was formed; the dream of a retreat and camp in the South Carolina Columbia community where every child and adult, no matter their difference, could experience the joys that camp has to offer.
In 2016, the unthinkable happened, Stacy Sawyer suddenly passed away. Stacy was the pillar of the dream and sadly passed away while the Sawyers and Fawcetts were starting to identify and focus their shared passion.
With her passing, these two families decided it was no longer going to be a dream, the children of Columbia and beyond our city deserve Camp Cole.
Thanks to a generous gift, the land has been donated, we have a master plan for our ideal camp and the dream we all share now is beginning.
The Land
Sitting on the most beautiful piece of land in Columbia, SC, Camp Cole will provide the camp and retreat experience for children and adults. Camp can be a life-changing experience and we hope to provide a safe, adequate, and fun camp for these experiences to take place.
Camp Cole will hopefully be completed in 2020 and will have all the services needed to be a safe and adequate facility for a camp experience for all illnesses and disabilities. In addition to being a camp, Camp Cole will also serve as a conference center and meeting space for Midlands area businesses, churches, organizations, schools, and anyone in the community. Camp Cole will have the capability to hold up to 250 guests, have a cafeteria, meeting spaces, gym/activity space, art shack, pool, outdoor spaces, and more.
Nowhere in the Midlands does this kind of Camp exist. These two families saw the need, shared the passion, and now are determined to create an incredible place for South Carolina.
