ITHACA, N.Y. -- It's a brand new summer camp that's drawing excited kids from across the county and giving children with Celiac Disease a chance to leave their food worries far behind.
Off the shore of Cayuga Lake, a group of children met for the first time this weekend, but they all have one thing in common.
"They can't have gluten. So all the food here is going to be gluten-free. And they don't have to worry about what they're eating and worry about cross-contamination and things like that," said Sabrina DeVos, the camp organizer.
"Everything here is gluten-free, which is really neat because I've been allergic to wheat for seven years now," said Mayli Nitsch.
Besides swimming, boating, fishing and games, Camp Celiac Strong gives kids with gluten intolerance a chance to forget their special diets.
"Yes. It's cool that we don't have to go up and ask 'Hey, is this gluten free? No?' Disappointment," said Nitsch.
The camp was started this year by 17-year-old Sabrina DeVos, who would drive seven hours each summer to attend a camp like this one.
"I wanted her to be with children so that she didn't have to worry about being different. And it was worth the drive," said Christina McGlynn, DeVos' mother.
"It meant the world to me. Because if you go to a restaurant, you have to worry about cross-contamination, or the ingredients in the food that they're serving you isn't true. And here you just don't have to worry about anything," said DeVos.
While the camp assures the kids will be safe and healthy without a lot of worry, for the campers the most exciting thing is being just like everybody else.
"Everyone here has the same experience as you, and everyone here is alike. I just hope they can learn something new and not feel so different anymore," said DeVos.
A welcome change she hopes they'll experience year after year.
For more information on Camp Celiac Strong visithttp://celiacstrong.weebly.com.