Aerie Experiences has given my son confidence that I could not. He attended his first sleep away camp at age 20. He was very anxious at this tremendous step (so was I!). When I picked him up from that week, he was hugging counselors and newly made friends. The next summer he asked to do multiple weeks of camp with Aerie. This was huge for his sensory system and anxious profile.
While the camps do take a lot out of him and require quite a bit of recovery time, they give him the sense of independence he deserves and grow his confidence for novel experiences.
Matthew and his team are adept at balancing when to push and how to support the campers. They are forthright with feedback to parents.
H. Patton, parent
Aerie Experiences, more specifically Matt Weneta, was a powerful lighthouse in a life storm. My then 14 year old special needs twins had just witnessed their father die by suicide while I was away on a business trip. A few months later, we moved from Maine to Georgia for a fresh start and found Matt. He and his programs have been tremendously impactful on helping my sons process their trauma and feelings. He gave them a safe place to feel “normal”, express themselves, and heal. It took a long time but they are now happy, healthy and independent young men. I couldn’t have done it without Matt. It truly takes a village.
Nancy A Parent
“My 3 kiddos enjoyed the beach camping trip, coming home with tons of awesome stories!
Even my “Quiet Kid” seemed to open up a bit more. And it warmed my heart watching the other children embracing and high-fiving my kids when it came time to say their good byes.
I also appreciated receiving feedback on the observations by Matt.”
Momma Angelena
Aerie Experiences has literally changed the life of my grandson. Lucas went to his first camp in 2018 at the age of 12. It was a change for all of us since he had never been away from at least one family member in his entire life! Of course we worried, but that one phone call from Matthew mid-week reassured us that Lucas was doing well and was fitting in quite nicely! When he returned home, he made it clear that he really wanted to go back the following year. He has gone to camp every year and is now 17! Even though he plans to go to school for his undergraduate degree, his desire to continue in some capacity as support to other campers is important to him.
Lucas had become more verbal, engaging, creative, opinionated, funny, grounded and focused! We were so fortunate to have “stumbled” onto Aerie!
Vickie Wang
Grovetown, GA
My son Ryan was 12 years old when he first experienced an Aerie camp. He was very nervous and tried so many ways to get out of it. I finally got him on the ferry to Sapelo Island. He returned a week later covered with mosquito bites and more than a little dirty, but had a big smile on his face, and was asking when he could go back! That was the start of our relationship with Aerie Experiences and Matthew. Ryan had experienced horrific sexual abuse by next door neighbors at the age of 4. He also was dyslexic with a diagnosis of ADD. At this time we did not know the extent of the abuse but through our relationship with Matthew, Ryan bravely moved on to do very hard work to acknowledge what was done to him. At 24, there are still life experiences that can cause him to revert back to the trauma memories and reactions. However, he has continued to grow and explore ways to continually move forward with his life. I am incredibly proud of the kind thoughtful young man that my son has become and I have always acknowledged the part that Matthew and his camps played in Ryan’s growth. We are grateful for all that Matthew has done for us!
Momma Kelly
email: mdweneta@aerieexperiences.com
phone: 404-285-0467