Camp Mariposa-Indianapolis:
Aaron's Place
A Youth Drug Prevention Program, Indiana
About Aaron's Place
Aaron’s Place is a year-round, free addiction and drug prevention and mentoring program for children and teens aged 9-12, affected by the substance use disorder of a family member. Camps take place six times a year and include traditional camp activities and educational and support sessions led by mental health professionals and adult mentors trained in substance abuse prevention.
Why Does Aaron’s Place Work?
Aaron’s Place provides children and teens with a safe and understanding environment, so they can learn about substance abuse, addiction, and drugs without barriers and for free. Drug prevention programs like Aaron’s place have been proven to be one of the best ways of preventing drug abuse later in life.
Older than 12 but still want to participate?
Teens older than 12 can continue their involvement in Camp Mariposa-Indianapolis: Aaron’s Place through a Junior Counselor program and other activities for teens/alumni. We provide a safe and supportive environment where youth can connect with peers and caring adult mentors. At weekend camps, youth build confidence, learn coping skills that help them break the cycle of addiction and develop drug use prevention strategies. Additional social activities and drug prevention programs are offered for youth, alumni and their families throughout the year. All Aaron’s Place activities are provided free of charge. This award-winning program is offered in partnership with youth-focused organizations in communities across the country.
See all photos from Camp Mariposa-Indianapolis 2021
2023 CAMP DATES
Indianapolis, IN
Bloomfield, IN
ODL understands that every family is different in many different ways. While the camp experience is provided at no-cost to participate, we understand that not everyone is in a position to be able to allocate resources toward supplies that might be perceived as necessary for camp.
We do not want there to be any barriers for children to participate, so to ensure this is an inclusive experience for everyone, we are able to provide any supplies needed for an enjoyable camp experience. We provide meals and snacks, sleeping bags, bug spray, hand sanitizer, shower supplies (including towels, shampoo and shower shoes), workbooks, pens, journals, etc. We understand that packing enough clothes for a weekend away from home can be challenging or cause anxiety. We can provide clothing for those that make this request. All requests for clothing are kept confidential. If you have any concerns about barriers to participating, please reach out to our staff so we can navigate solutions.
We are able to do this because of the support and generosity of our staff, our community, and our donors.
Want to help? Donate to Overdose Lifeline to support this and programs like it.
- Camp is held 6 times a year, Friday through Sunday.
- During the other months of the year, thecampers are invited to participate in family and/or caregiver activities.
- All of the program activities are free of charge.
- Transportation available upon request.
- We still have room for more campers, please share this drug prevention program with a family that can benefit!
2022 CAMP MARIPOSA SPONSORS
For a full list of volunteers, donors, and supporters who made the 2021 camp experience possible,
read our Blog post Camp Mariposa — Indianapolis: Simply Serendipitous.
2022 CAMP MARIPOSA SPONSORS
For a full list of volunteers, donors, and supporters who made the 2021 camp experience possible,
read our Blog post Camp Mariposa — Indianapolis: Simply Serendipitous.
Camp Mariposa Helps Youth:
- Reduce feelings of isolation and guilt
- Connect with friends facing similar situations
- Learn that addiction is a disease and not their fault
- Build confidence
- Learn critical life skills to help manage feelings and practice self-care and HAVE FUN!*
Donate to Aaron's Place
Help send a message of hope to those affected by addiction by sending a donation to Overdose Lifeline.
Donate
INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING AS A MENTOR?
Mentors are an essential piece in making our camp successful. If you’re caring, compassionate, and want to proactively help the youth in your community, we invite you to join us at Aaron’s Place. We’ll provide the necessary training and tools to help make your contribution as meaningful as possible.
We require a one year commitment from our trained adult mentors to ensure that a solid foundation of trust, support, and awareness is built around the topic of substance use disorder.
REGISTER
To join as a mentor for the year 2023, please fill out the Mentor Application by clicking the button below.
Camper application for 2023 will open in December. If you wish to be notified when the applications are open, please contact Camp Director Nicki Cochran below.
All applications and any questions about this program should be addressed to:
Nicki Cochran
Camp Mariposa Director
Nicki@overdoselifeline.org
844-554-3354 ext. 9