Confidence Learning Center

To provide a unique year-round opportunity, facility, and professional staff for persons with developmental disabilities.

To enhance the ability and self-confidence of people of all ages with developmental disabilities, with particular emphasis on persons with mental retardation.

To educate through "hands-on" outdoor and recreation experiences while meeting individual needs.

To facilitate exceptional learning experiences for families, direct care staff, interns, and professionals in the field of developmental disabilities.

Confidence Learning Center is different as our Campers come to Confidence Learning Center WITH their primary care provider - they are not BROUGHT. We feel this provides a great learning and growing opportunity for everyone!

Confidence Learning Center - also known as Camp Confidence - is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the belief that persons with developmental disabilities have the right to experience life to the fullest.

This idea led Dick Endres, founder of Camp Confidence, and a group of Brainerd businessmen to form a non-profit corporation in 1967 called the Minnesota Therapeutic Camp, Inc. Today it is know officially as Confidence Learning Center although its original name of Camp Confidence is used also. This was indeed a pioneering project -- as it was the first program of its kind in the northern 24 states of the United States. Thirty years ago, Dick Endres had a vision - to establish a permanent place where people with developmental disabilities could develop the skills necessary to become full, contributing members of society.

For the past 40 years Camp Confidence, now called Confidence Learning Center, has enriched the lives of tens of thousands of campers. Bringing them joy, self-confidence and a new sense of self-worth through hands on learning opportunities.

Today Confidence Learning Center continues its mission, serving more than 11,000 camper days a year. A self-supporting facility, Confidence Learning Center operates successfully without the aid of government grants or programs.

We are proud of the accomplishments we've achieved with our programs and you should be too. Celebrate Success honored Camp Confidence as the TOP OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER serving people with disabilities at an award ceremony on October 6, 1994. Celebrate Success, a coalition of non-profit agencies who work on behalf of people with disabilities, promotes awareness for people with disabilities to our schools, work places, and our communities. The programs at Camp Confidence, including adapted activities such as tubing, sailing, rock climbing, archery, and dog sledding, were recognized as having accommodated people with disabilities, programmatically as well as physically. Celebrate Success, along with Confidence Learning Center, hopes to provide examples of how our communities are enriched when people with disabilities are offered unlimited choices.

Director Emeritus Dick Endres with the help of volunteer Pam Sachs recently completed and published the fascinating history of Camp. His book, entitled In Pursuit of Confidence is available at local bookstores.

To read about and keep up with changing Camp news, please click here.

Cars for Confidence

Donate your car, truck, van, trailer, boat, snowmobile, motorcycle, ATV or RV and receive a full IRS tax deduction. We do all the DMV & IRS paperwork! Confidence Learning Center is always looking for donations to support this program.

Contact us at the number below. We will make arrangements with you to transfer the vehicle. Confidence Learning Center will take care of all the paperwork. All you do is provide the vehicle and title.

Please contact Kevin Lockwood at 218.820.2258.