About Us
In 2014, Sabrina DeVos created this camp for boys and girls, ages 7 - 16 with celiac disease or a gluten free diet. In 2017, we moved the location to Hunt, NY at Camp Cherith. We are not affiliated with their program, we rent their facility (our camp is not religious-based). Celiac Strong's focus is to serve gluten-free food to allow campers to forget they have celiac while they are at camp.
We are a dedicated gluten-free camp! We can also accommodate a lactose free diet, but not other food restrictions or allergies. We play games, make crafts, sing songs, and roast s'mores. The campers are also sent home with a goodie bag of product donations and coupons. Campers have come from New York, Oregon, Ohio, Colorado, North Carolina, Florida, Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland, New York City area, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Virginia, Canada, and even California.
This camp is run for children to be able to have a respite from their daily dietary stressors. Coming to this camp allows them to put their dietary fears aside and just be able to have fun and make new friends. This camp is run strictly by volunteers - no one is paid. Please contact us if you would like to volunteer and become part of this wonderful family.
Meet the Team
Celiac Strong Camp Founder, 2014 President
Program Director
Sabrina DeVos founded Celiac Strong in 2014. She is from the Rochester NY area, and wanted to bring an experience like this close to home. DeVos was officially diagnosed with celiac disease in 2003, at the age of six.
At the age of 16, DeVos developed Celiac Strong for her Girl Scout Gold Award Project and received the award in 2014. She started Girl Scouts when she was in kindergarten, and is now a lifetime member of the organization.
DeVos' first summer camp experience was in 2006 at Camp Celiac, located in Rhode Island (which is about eight hours away from Rochester, NY). She attended the camp every year until 2014, when she aged out. DeVos loved the experience so much that she wanted to share it closer to home for kids in this area. She believes other children should experience the joy of having a few of worry-free days and created a place where they can just be themselves.
Daneille is a mother of 2 daughters, Isabella and Abbigail. She has been a Girl Scout Leader since 2011. She has worked for Southern Cayuga School in food service since 2017 and will be working part time at Bearded Bear BBQ in Union Springs. She loves gardening, camping, and spending time with her family. Her family has been gluten free since July 2012. Both her girls have attended Celiac Strong Camp since it opened in 2014 and but have recently aged out.
Christina works at NYSIF as a Senior Auditor and graduated from SUNY Empire with a BA in Business Management and Finance. She is the proud mom of our very own founder, Sabrina. Christina had been a girl scout leader for 12 years (2002-2014) and had served as a mentor for Girl Scouts earning their Gold as well as served on the NYPENN Gold Award Committee from 2014 until 2018.
She enjoys photography, cooking, clowning (aka MaiZie the Clown), reiki, yoga, movies, traveling, spending time with family, as well as cuddling with her dogs Sally and Lucy.
Patrick and his wife Tammy have two daughters, Maggie (16) and Ally (14). Maggie was diagnosed with Celiac Disease when she was 2, and they have all been going to Celiac Strong Camp since 2018. Patrick and his family live in Florham Park, NJ with River the dog, Clyde the cat, and Cabbage and Bonita the guinea pigs. Patrick is a professor of psychology at Drew University and does historic preservation for his town. In his free time, he likes to watch movies with his family, explore new places, wander around NYC, and tinker with his old car.
Ashley is a Mom of 2, a boy, Landon (16) and a girl, Kennedy (14). We live in Wolcott, NY with my husband CJ, our 3 dogs and a miniature horse!! My daughter Kennedy was diagnosed with Celiac Disease 4 days before she turned 5. I hold a Bachelors and Masters in Teaching, as well as an Associates and Bachelors Degree in Nursing with plans to continue to grow in my field. I currently work at Golisano’s Children’s Hospital @ Strong in Pediatric Pulmonology and enjoy spending time with my family, watching baseball (which is my all time favorite sport, GO RED SOX!!), watching my son do Varsity Swimming and Baseball, as well as my daughter play volleyball and basketball. This will be mine and my daughter's ninth year (2025) at Celiac Camp and we are so excited.
Evonne is a certified waterfront/pool lifeguard and instructor with Red Cross. She is a mother of three and a foster parent. She has her degree in Community and Human Service as well as her Teacher's Aide Certification. She has worked with her local county’s Department of aging and Youth for the last 6 years providing Medicare assistance to seniors, overseeing the local beach lifeguards every summer, and providing Parent Support for those recommended by their school district. Evonne had been a Girl Scout leader for 10 years. Her hobbies include gardening, camping, swimming, hiking, 5k's and bicycling. She also enjoys traveling and plans regular trips for her family to explore new places. She has been a part of Celiac Strong since 2014.
I am the owner and CEO of Livingston County Pizza in Avon NY. I've spent the last 32 years in the food service industry in various jobs of increasing responsibilities, eventually deciding to open my own restaurant . Realizing the need for gluten free food after a customer asked about a gf pizza I started developing what is now the largest gf menu in the area. Also realizing the need for strict procedures and protocols to prevent cross contamination I have put in place some of the leading safety standards today. After 19 years in business I am excited about the future growth plans of LCP as we move toward a more healthy and fresh menu, and expanding our reach to the gf community.
Emily has been attending Celiac Strong Summer Camp as a camper since the very first year in 2014 until she aged out in 2018. Since then, she has been volunteering as an activity counselor; she is grateful to CSSC for giving her the opportunity to give campers the same summer camp experience she has looked forward to every year since she was 12.
Emily currently works as a pharmacy technician for CVS, and is on her way to becoming a certified immunizer. Her career goal is to become a speech therapist working with school-age kids, helping them to be confident in their communication skills. In her free time she enjoys going for walks, trying new recipes, and spending time with friends.
Kevin works at Xerox as an engineer. He graduated from RIT with a MA in Materials Science and Engineering. His mechanical and organizational skills are valuable tools to help keep the camp running smoothly. He enjoys golfing, tennis, camping, traveling and spending his free time with family. He has been a part of Celiac Strong since 2014.
Stefanie graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in Food and Nutrition and is currently the Registered Dietitian for the Rochester Clinical Research. She was diagnosed with celiac disease as a young child and became involved with the Greater Rochester Celiac Support Group as the co-chair for the fundraising walk in 2015. In Stefanie's spare time she enjoys hiking, water sports, and trying new recipes. She has been a part of Celiac Strong since 2018.
Tour The Camp
Photos taken by Christina M. McGlynn
We are a 501c3 nonprofit
Celiac Strong Summer Camp Inc.'s mission is to provide and operate a youth camp for children with gluten intolerance or celiac disease. The corporation provides a gluten free environment for campers that are gluten intolerant or have celiac disease by offering a complete gluten free menu and recreational activities.