i have trouble breathing sometimes. other kids have the same condition as me kind of, makes me feel like i'm not the only one to have it.

>> makes me feel good, like where i belong, because most people find me weird, because i have autism. >> go brianna. >> those are the inspiring voices of innocence, courage and hope. there is no other place that can create such powerful change in these young lives than right here, camp arroyo in livermore. at first glance it's just like any other summer camp. moments, just as, you can see it's so much more. each year thousands of campers, many young children facing life altering conditions come here to meet others just like them. >> for the next half hour we'll take you inside this special place and meeting the people making it happen. it all starts with the taylor family foundation.

more than 3,000 kids with special needs come to camp arroyo every year. the free camp is hosted by the taylor family foundation. barry and elaine taylor started the foundation in 1990 to help children living with hiv and aids. >> so the whole time raising funds was to build a camp for children with aids because they didn't have any place to go. >> they were almost like 1,000 children to the border. we thought, okay, this will be perfect. we will get all 1,000 instead of the 25 sickest go first. nobody gets to go to camp when they are healthier. >> the taylor foundation wanted to do more. in 1997 it partnered with the east bay regional park district to build camp arroyo, the state-of-the-art green facility for kids. >> by the time you do a master plan and pick your architect and draw your plans and get your permits, it takes three years.

>> at the same time the transmission rate of hiv from mother to child dropped dramatically in the u.s. according to the cdc. so the taylor foundation was faced with a good problem. >> my dad told me there were only 300 kids. so who are we going to put in this camp, this amazing, beautiful camp. >> the answer, camp aarroyo opened in 2000 for kids with life altering conditions such as hiv, asthma, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and celiac disease. >> it really gave us a much greater broad base, children in our communities could help. >> so what do kids do at camp? >> i like to be able to swim. >> football, there's archery, so many fun games. >> my thing was the zip line. >> plus horse back riding,

bochy, arts and crafts and so many more fun things which make camp magical. at the same time they are building their self-esteem and creating lifelong friendships. >> these kids stay in touch with each other and have a sense of community. lets say maybe at school they are having a difficult time is thing in. they have their weekends they can meet up with each other. there is this very, very tight sense of community. >> i still have a relationship with some of the people here. it's amazing because i can still talk to them. >> we can talk about our past and stuff like that. it's really nice to have a friend that understands what you're going through. >> the good news for the past two decades for these young people, many are living longer thanks to advances in medicine in places just like this. so they become teenagers and young adults, many returning to camp arroyo for an inspirational dose of strength and courage. we recently got to meet

incredible young people or teens living with hiv or aids. >> in the outside world you can't really be yourself fully because of people judging you. here you can be anything you want to be. >> a lot of peopleer either have hiv or they are affected by it, meaning a close family member or friend has it. so for these to be able to come together and have space where they are accepted for who they are, that's extremely important. >> it's my family here. when i'm out of camp and back home doing my thing, i feel -- i want to say i feel lonely without everyone here. i'm not myself. these three young adults have spent their whole lives dealing with bei hiv positive.

they have returned as counselors giving back to a new generation of campers. it hasn't always been easy. >> one of the things about hiv and aids is the negative stigma associated with it. it's not like other diseases. most other diseases there's not fear you case. if you tell someone you have cancer or lupus, they aren't going to say you can't spend the night at my house, or i'm not sharing a fork with you. >> cheryl has been fighting that stigma her whole upife. growing up in foster care, life handed her some tough challenges. >> as a 6-year-old child i was told i was hiv positive. i knew i was different and i had to keep this big secret and i was sick or something was wrong with me. it made life difficult. >> it breaks your heart thinking about kids being bullied. it's across our nation, not only with hiv. you add that and other issues families have like poverty, it's a hard childhood.

>> alex first came to camp when she was 6 years old. she remembers being scared at first. years later she's a confident, strong woman. >> it's taken a while to build up my strength. i'm a shy person. i sometimes let people walk all over me. i have to learn i'm my own person and they can't do that to me anymore. >> this is a therapeutic camp. there are thingson where on whe we're building strength, building resistance. >> education plays a large role at camp, from learning about abstinence to safe sex and full disclosure. they talk about all of it here. >> we have kids here who were infected in middle school and high school. infections are still happening at that age level. i think pumping up the education in the schools. this has become a chronic manageable illness but it's still out there. >> thanks to love and support

from friends and the taylor foundation, the future looks bright for these counselors. alex is studying to become a medical assistant. shirla, early childhood developme development. they are helping kids like them. >> i'm healthy, look great, feel great, active. i have a lot of friends that love and support me. just because you have hiv is not the end of the world. >> the camp offers a world of hope, fun, and lasting friendships. >> i love it here. >> i do, too. >> it also offers a safe

feeling normal is not something many of us think about on a daily basis. there are some who face that challenge every day. celiac disease is one of those life altering diseases that changes a family's lifestyle. >> pretzels actually cause a fight at camp, these particular pretzels. this seriously is the biggest deal at camp. this morning we served 150 fresh doughnuts. >> this is celiac camp. it's a safe place for kids with celiac disease to have fun and not worry about food choices. >> the hot dogs are pretty good. >> the chicken, i love that. >> corn dogs. >> these kids have a bad reaction to gluten, a protein found in certain grains like wheat, barley. >> technically it's not an

allergy, an autoimmune disorder. it's not an allergy. you can't outgrow it. if you have celiac, you'll be on it all your life. >> here all food is gluten free. they can eat whatever they want and they love it. >> what are the symptoms of celiac disease? >> it's different in every person. some people can have problems with their joints. some people have can problems with not growing. the most common are gi symptoms. >> horrible stomach aches, way more than normal. >> you may be anemic, won't absorb calcium as well, so bones will be thinner. >> for some getting a celiac disease diagnosis took time. >> my daughter was born and she was very sick. she had never ending colic. she was diagnosed with leukemia, appendicitis 12 times, diagnosed

with pretty much every possible illness. one day i got so frustrated, i brought her to the hospital and they said she had leukemia. the fever would not go down. i spent 23 hours on the internet trying to figure out what was wrong with my daughter. the more i keep growing through it, the name celiac keeps coming out. i found out the doctor who put it in the books in 1989. i drove 180 miles in my rv with my daughter. i had a baby at the time, a little one about three weeks old. i said i think my daughter has celiac but the doctors don't believe me. she took one look at my daughter and said, oh, my god. she postponed her meeting and took her into surgery. she came out of the biopsy and said you're 100% right. she has celiac. she had

te -- intestine. she said if i had not done that my daughter wouldn't have last add month. then they told me let me have the baby. i said why. she said siblings have it. if one has it, the other will have it. she took my daughter in for surgery, she had the biopsy. she was 100 times worse than my first daughter. she had a bleeding ulcer. she had so much damage she would not have lasted six months. after everything wastold me the told me th to physical it. i went home tingeing what am i going to feed my girls. i went to the stores and everything had wheat. i sat on the floor and thought i only have corn chips, the only thing gluten-free. >> her daughters are 10 and 14 years old. they love coming to camp. >>ette means a lot to me to know i can come here and not worry about what i eat.

that's normally my job at school. i have to check all the stuff. it gets really exhausting. >> i learned there's a lot of gluten-free stuff in the world and i'm going to try it. >> so many kids like them. like mommy, i'm in a whirl of celiac. everybody was like me. they feel normal for the first time in their life. >> the best part of being here, you don't forget you have celiac but you forts you're different. >> i think is it gluten-free? then i thought, yeah, and i chowed down on cookies. >> having a life altering disease or illness can be pretty scary at times. these campers feel secure in enjoying all camp arroyo has to offer knowing everyone has each other's back. >> i feel safe around everyone here. i know i'm around people i can depend on. >> it's pretty much like i've got your back, you've got mine. >> what's so great about kids coming to camp arroyo, they get

an opportunity to have fun and be a kid and also learn about their condition, asthma or any other health issue they may have. >> it feels good. there are other people that have asthma like me here. any camp you go to as a child. we have a safe environment geared toward keeping them healthy so they can participate in all the camp activities and not have any problems with their asth asthma. >> we go to ropes course or rockwall, anything active, we know if one of us pause, we tell an adult. >> it's nice. >> that's what we do. >> when they are around their friends and other kids with the same conditions they do they don't feel alienated or special

or different. they are all among their friends that have the same condition. they can come here and have a great time and not worry about that. >> great for them to come be with other children who have asthma. they get to share. we have sessions that deal with that. we have a lot of people around that deal with asthma. >> we're all really a big team and group. the taylor foundation is actually helping kids, helping them learn what they need to do just in case. >> it's such a great relief knowing the taylor family foundation is here for kids so they have opportunities they normally wouldn't because of any health issues. >> just because we have something wrong with us doesn't mean we have to be cooped up

inside. we can be doing stuff we love. >> thank you! >> campers bounce from one activity to the next at camp arroyo, no matter their personal or physical challenges. see for yourself. "just like me

music, climbing, summer and swimming, summertime at camp rroyo. arroyo. for many campers it's the most wonderful time of the year, no matter what obstacles they face. >> one foot, now the next foot. >> is it hard to learn? >> it is hard. it's hard to sign.

>> coming to you see the smile on children's faces. you get an opportunity to see them enjoying life. >> this the best camp i've been to for 12 years. >> twelve years, that's how long the exceptional network has been able to bring developmental kids to camp arroyo for free thanks to the tayloron. >> foundation. >> we wouldn't have been here 12 years if it wasn't for all their support. it's a wonderful organization. >> heaven on earth. every year it seems like it gets better and better. we look so forward to coming to camp arroyo. we deal with autism and the whole spectrum, mild to moderate to severe. down's syndrome, cerebral palsy, seizure disorder, developmentally delayed and

other things not diagnosed. >> emotional, physical, there is a whole gamut of kids that come to camp. >> does it help you with your anxiety? >> yes, it does. >> up on the rockwall. >> the rockwall behind you? >> yes. >> how high did you get? >> to the top. >> all the way to the top? was it scary? >> a little bit. >> that's what's wonderful about this camp, these kids, may be their only opportunity for them to be in this environment. >> it helps them learn there are other kids out there like them. they come here and can be themselves and have their personalities and quirks and it's okay. >> how do you think camp helps other kids like you? >> well, they keep them positive. the campers, the counselors keep

them positive. >> does camp make you happy? >> yeah, we're happy. >> i love the pizza and tacos. >> great food, good friends, and a generous amount of activity to stimulate campers bodies, minds, and spirit. >> thank you for sharing. everybody together. ♪ >> do you like music therapy in have you done it before? what is your favorite musical instrument? the drums? >> the drums. >> me, too. >> sorry. go brianna. >> that was fantastic. >> it's not just the kids that benefit, it's the parents. the respite hours they get. having a kid with special needs

is 24/7 job. just to drop your kid off and know they will be safe and you can go and decompress. >> the taylor foundation has been wonderful for us. thank you so much taylor family. >> thank you. >> when we come back, we'll learn what lies ahead for the taylor foundation and camp arroyo and what you can do to help.

too small. too soft. too tasty.

[ both laugh ] [ male announcer ] introducing progresso's new creamy alfredo soup. inspired by perfection. [ female announcer ] at 100 calories, not all food choices add up. some are giant. some not so giant. when managing your weight, bigger is always better. ♪ ho ho ho ♪ green giant the taylor family foundation moved into its third decade with lightning speed, building programs and a future for families in need. how can we help? it can be as easy as dock to camp. >> the new camps this year are arthritis camp. they now have a team camp as they have graduated into preteen and teen. they have a whole set of new dynamics and new issues. >> we all start getting additional autism and disability program.

this year we added three. next year working with epilepsy and down's syndrome. >> new programs that run year-round in and outside of camp such as music therapy. >> we're hoping to set it up so our music therapy van will go to kaiser oakland, the children's oncology floor, because there's no music therapy program there. they can go to the autistic junior high school kids. we really want this program to be far bigger than just camp. >> developing these new programs and camps takes a lot of time and money, but there are so many ways to help. >> people can come here and help by volunteering, help by donating, come to the office. they can spread the word about us, become ambassadors for us. >> then there's day in the park, the tampa foundation's annual fundraiser taking place this sunday august 25th at camp

arroyo. enjoy great food, wine, a live auction and meet the amazing kids who benefit so greatly from your help and donation. >> the other goal, of course, is to get our endowment fund to the point it sustains camp. this place is nothing but joy. even with the sickest children, you see them laughing and embracing each other and having fun. i get to be a part of that. how lucky are we? thanks for joining abc 7 as we continue our journey with the taylor family foundation and camp arroyo. to learn logon to abc7news.com. >> good-bye camp arroyo!

yes honey? dad told me that cheerios is good for your heart, is that true? says here that cheerios has whole grain oats that can help remove some cholesterol, and that's heart healthy. [ dad ] jan? ♪

danny: hi, i'm danny boome, and welcome to recipe rehab, sponsored by everyday health. on this episode, the stillings family love their sweet blue bacon burgers. dawn: okay, you guys, who's ready to make sunday burgers? family: we are! steven: every weekend we make my mom's bacon blue cheeseburgers, but they're not really healthy. dawn: ooh, it smells good. nichole: that is so much bacon. dawn: yeah, that's the best part. danny: but with more than 1,200 calories and a ton of fat, this dish is in need of a major health makeover. jacob: we use unhealthy meat, about a pound of bacon, bacon grease, and loads of blue cheese. dawn: this is really, really greasy. jacob: we really need to find a healthier version,