Every summer, Don and Katy Flynn escape their worlds for a week.

The two pack up and head from Oak Forest to Hudson, Illinois, where some of their closest friends are waiting—all 198 of them.

The siblings join a cast of 120 volunteers leading a summer camp for people with physical disabilities such as Muscular Dystrophy and Cerebral Palsy. The camp, in its 20th year, is organized by the nonprofit Association of Horizon, Inc.

The camp hosted 85 happy campers from July 24 through July 30 this year, offering activities ranging from movie nights, to boat nights, fishing, spa days, horseback riding, hockey and soccer games, canoeing, arts and crafts—even a dinner dance. All volunteers are trained before the camp, and all activities are volunteer-led. Each counselor is paired up with their own camper.

"You're just a pair, you're a team," said Lori Moore, president of the organization. "It's a place where you don't think about anything else. All the barriers are taken down."

Watch as Katy and Don Flynn talk about their personal experiences with Horizon Summer Camp.

Some would say that volunteering at the camp is a Flynn family tradition—their sister was first, Don followed at the age of 15, and he began bringing Katy along when she was 9.

The first summer he volunteered, Don was faced with a tough choice: camp or driver's ed.

"I waited until I was 17 to drive, so I could go," he said.

Now the brother-sister duo find themselves planning get-togethers with their "camp family" in the off-season. Each summer, each looks forward to ducking away from their normal daily lives for the camp.

Moore, 32, agreed.

"For me, it's been like an extended family," she said. "I call it a 'vacation.' We're leaving our family to go and help.

"It's my recreation, my hobby, my everything, besides work. I don't think I'd be who I am today without camp."

Watch video of the Horizon Summer Camp 2010.

The camp is the organization's main focus. The camp costs the organization roughly $800 per camper—but the campers attend free of charge. Operational costs for each year's camp are roughly $100,000, brought in through fundraising and private donations. Throughout the year, they'll sponsor fundraisers such as golf outings, bean bag tournaments, Mardi Gras-themed events, and raffles. Fundraisers bring in as little as $500, or as much as $15,000.

Currently, the organization has enough funding for one additional year of camp, Moore said.

"We're kind of 'small town,'" Moore said. "But we're trying to get big. I think of us as 'the little enginge that could.'"

About the Association of Horizon

The Association of Horizon is an organization with over several hundred volunteers, that provides opportunities for adults with and without physical disabilities to socialize, interact and learn from one another. Although Horizon has existed for many years, the current organization was formed in 1992 in response to a cut in funding that kept adults with disabilities from attending the Muscular Dystrophy Association summer camp. Horizon has since successfully produced Summer Camp Programs for adults with a wide range of physical disabilities including Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy and Multiple Sclerosis, according to its website.

The Association of Horizon is an organization with over several hundred volunteers, that provides opportunities for adults with and without physical disabilities to socialize, interact and learn from one another. Although Horizon has existed for many years, the current organization was formed in 1992 in response to a cut in funding that kept adults with disabilities from attending the Muscular Dystrophy Association summer camp. Horizon has since successfully produced Summer Camp Programs for adults with a wide range of physical disabilities including Muscular Dystrophy, Cerebral Palsy and Multiple Sclerosis.

Over the years, as the organization has grown, so have the programs Horizon offers. Monthly planned outings are growing in popularity and include events like Fall Weekend Camp, the Chicago Wolves hockey game and Shop with a Friend. Horizon funds its activities primarily through fundraising events, private donations and grants. A few of our successful fundraising events include: The Golf Outing & Hawaiian Luau, A Spaghetti Dinner and Bowl for Horizon.

For more information, or to get involved as a volunteer, visit the association's website, or find them on Facebook.