Sister Pat's Kids Camp

Hey everyone! Hope you all are having a safe and relaxing summer. Only about three weeks left, but it’s not over yet!

So, this summer, I went to my first sleep-away camp. The only thing is, this was not a normal sleep-away camp. The camp was called Sister Pat’s Kids Camp, meant for kids with cancer or various blood disorders. I applied over a year prior, and was accepted as a counselor for the camp’s 25th year running. In June, all of the counselors attended an orientation that explained camp and where we would find and make our place in it. All of the first year counselors, except lifeguards, were not only counselors of specific groups, but were on kitchen crew as well. At orientation, we were given basic training and explanations of the kids we would be dealing with: basically, between the ages of 6 and 14, with some type of cancer or blood disorder, most commonly sickle cell anemia, and which campers would be receiving treatment while at camp. I honestly didn’t know to expect going into the camp, but I can say that it was the greatest week of my life. I was assigned to a group of 14 girls between the ages of 10 and 12, and they were the most amazing group of kids I have ever met. Along with my regular group, I was a part of the kitchen crew, meaning that we would set up, serve and clean up all meals, spending an average of 8 hours together each day. After being in the kitchen, I would have to run and find my group to play with them during their activities. Although they were sick, they didn’t show it while making the most out of the week they had. At our orientation, the woman in charge continued to tell her fellow counselors that this week was all about the kids, which was proved to be completely true. Each day was divided up into 6 periods spent on a variety of activities with a special night activity. The day activities included biking, swimming, fishing and boating, weaving, arts and crafts, gym activities, music, tie die, and cooking, and the night activities included a carnival, roller skating, a campfire, a Disney theme night, and a dance. The kids loved every minute of every day, and it is proved when some campers return as counselors at the appropriate age. Not only did camp change their lives, but the kids and this camp changed the lives of every single counselor. The kids are such an inspiration, and the other counselors and I all agree that we cannot wait until camp next year!