"Camp Awesum", near Saint Germain, will welcome close to 50 campers with autism for their second summer this June. One local boy is making a return trip, and is looking forward to another summer of fun and friends.

When 12-year-old Joshua Scarlata comes home from school, he usually has his family and his Game Cube to look forward to. But in a few weeks, he'll pack his bags and head up north for a fun-filled week at Camp Awesum.

"Camp Awesum was totally made of autistic people," Joshua says.

Autistic kids just like him: Joshua was diagnosed with autism at age four-and-a-half.

His parents, Bill and Sharon, heard about the camp through the Central Wisconsin AUsome Social Group, and thought it would be a perfect getaway for their son.

"He likes to swim, he likes to fish. These were things they were doing all the time," says Bill. "When we heard about this camp and checked into it, we asked Joshua if he wanted to go and he said sure."

The group gave Joshua a scholarship to go to Camp Awesum. From check-in day to the final get-together, his week there has left him with some great memories.

"There's a trail and a main cabin, a really big one, that a staffer is usually in. There's breakfast, lunch and dinner there," he says. "We got to go swimming every once in a while and i liked doing fishing. I caught a few fish, a few crappies."

"At night, we would do campfires. They'd make s'mores and everybody would sing along if you like kiddie songs."

At the end of camp, the kids each received a DVD with pictures from the entire week. It's not only to help Joshua remember his experience, but also to help him share it with others.

Joshua is already gearing up for another summer at Camp Awesum. His parents hope he'll have another "awesum" time.

"I think it really helps them to know that they're not alone, they're not the only person with this problem," says Bill.

Joshua met a lot of other kids, including a very special friend he's kept in touch with since camp ended. We'll hear more about this new-found friendship in Part 4 of our "To Find a Friend" series.

A big change the camp is making is raising their age limit to 15. It was open to kids between eight and 12 last year, but so many campers already reached their 12th birthday and wanted to go back. So it shows the experience is having a very positive impact on these kids.

For more information, visit Camp Awesum's website at www.campawesum.org.