The Positive Energy of Camp

The Positive Energy of Camp

What it is like to volunteer at a camp for children with special medical needs

By Jenni Attie, North Star Reach Marketing Committee Member and Volunteer

For five summers in a row (2003-2008), I volunteered at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Connecticut. The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is the camp Paul Newman founded so kids with serious medical conditions could experience all that camp has to offer at no charge to the children or their families. His legacy of SeriousFun Camps worldwide has stayed true to that vision.

Each summer, after a week at camp, I always returned home feeling revived. I returned to work feeling like I had been on vacation. There was always so much positive energy! I remember standing in the cafeteria at camp with 120 campers who were singing, dancing, and screaming, as they thoroughly enjoyed their camp experience!

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp was always such a welcoming, supportive environment. I know that to be true for the volunteers and staff, as well as the campers. I grew and learned every summer that I was there.

With North Star Reach being built, I hope you have a chance to volunteer at camp and to experience some of the many joys of camp.  I volunteered as a nurse, but there are many volunteer roles at camp that don’t require medical expertise. Volunteers are taught basic medical details, as there are always lots of volunteers with medical experience ready to take care of the campers.

I stopped volunteering when I became a parent, but having my own children gave me an increased awareness of just how important camps like The Hole in the Wall Gang and North Star Reach can be for children and their families.

I am so excited that North Star Reach will be bringing the opportunity to attend camp to more kids right here in the Midwest. I have seen firsthand the difference a camp like this can make in the lives of the children, the families, and yes, even the volunteers.

If you’re wondering how volunteering at a camp can become part of your summer plans, click here  for more information.