Camp Sunshine celebrates 50 years
Published 1:00 pm Thursday, July 17, 2025
Love locks commemorating Camp Sunshine’s 50th anniversary were latched onto the Percy Quin State Park Bridge Friday. The camp is run independent of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks but has called Percy Quin home since its inception.
Known as the “Happiest Place on Earth,” by campers and volunteers alike, Camp Sunshine was bustling with excitement as they celebrated 50 years of camps for children and adults with special needs. Campers played volleyball in a pool, cuddled goats, rabbits and chicks at a petting zoo, made friendship bracelets, fished from a wheelchair accessible dock and rode on a pontoon around the lake.
Camper Michael Compton, who works for the McComb School District in maintenance, spoke with guests the most. He said he has come to Camp Sunshine for a long time but wasn’t sure how many years it has been.
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“We have fun and I get to spend time with friends,” Compton said. “We fish, swim, dance, do arts and crafts. Fishing is my favorite thing. I enjoy catching a fish and giving it to someone who can’t catch one.”
The camp was started by civic and church organizations in McComb with Junior Auxiliary taking the lead. Betsy Murrell, camp coordinator, became involved in the camp through JA 30 years ago.
She said some of the campers have come to Camp Sunshine for 50 years. The Bridge Center is where those with special needs went before special education started in McComb School District. Becky Morgan was the coordinator of the Bridge Center when the board decided to start Camp Sunshine in 1976. After a few years, McComb’s Junior Auxiliary decided to take on the camp as a long-term project and started fund raising for it.
Murrell said she got involved 30 years ago by serving as a camp chairman for JA.
“I fell in love with it and started staying out here as a camp parent,” Murrell said.
Morgan died in 2010 and Murrell became camp coordinator in 2011.
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Camp Sunshine has grown over the past 50 years. The first group of campers numbered eight, now the camp is split into two sessions with about 60 campers in each session. Campers are served by 130 camp counselors, 25 adult staff.
COVID did cause some disruption to the camp as they had to do pop-up camps. Last year they returned to campers spending the night.
Over the years, JA has raised money for a new bathhouse, floating dock and pool.
“It has changed a lot for the good,” Murrell said. “The communities really embraced it. It is amazing the donations of food we get from local businesses. We really appreciate them. We couldn’t do it without everyone, they are committed. A lot of the house parents were counselors who never left.”
High school students must be 15 years old or older to apply to be a counselor. Murrell said they need to contact McComb’s JA chapter to get involved.
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