Help change lives.
Camp is…Inspiring
Two weeks ago, a good friend and I had a chance to volunteer at Flying Horse Farms; a SeriousFun Camp founded by Paul Newman and located in Mt. Gilead, OH. If I had to use one word to sum up my experience it would be INSPIRING. Walking into this opportunity, I wasn’t sure what to expect…needless to say, I was blown away! I had the great pleasure of meeting amazing people who will stay in my heart and mind forever.
I will always remember the sheer joy on one camper’s face after he shot a bow & arrow for the first time with roughly a dozen campers & volunteers cheering him on. The fact that he had recently finished his second round of chemo and was unable to verbally communicate wasn’t an issue; he was just like every other kid experiencing life as kids should….it was truly magical to witness! I also recall another camper proudly describing the thrill of catching a fish for the first time (she even kissed it!), with her feeding tube tucked safely in her backpack. The courage, strength, tenacity, and bravery these children displayed was indescribable.
This SeriousFun Camp provides these special children with the unique opportunity to be “regular kids” with a name and not a medical diagnosis for a moment. If you are ever looking for an organization to donate to and/or get involved with, SeriousFun is an incredible organization that not only gives these wonderful children a really cool experience but provides support to the families (heroes in my book) as well. With that said I am counting the days until the children of Michigan will also get to experience the magic of camp in the safety of their own backyard when North Star Reach is built and operating. Every kid who wants to go to camp should be able to have this opportunity and building North Star Reach will ensure that more kids do!
Truly INSPIRING…
By: Dana Marinesi, camp volunteer
This is Camp and Camp is a Prescription for Fun
Last weekend I volunteered at Flying Horse Farms for a Spring Family Camp Weekend. Located in Mount Gilead, Ohio, Flying Horse Farms belongs to SeriousFun Children’s Network, a family of camps that provides traditional camp experiences to children with serious illnesses. Flying Horse Farms describes its camp as magical, transforming, fun. I have to say those three words describe my experience exactly.
I set out to camp to better visualize what North Star Reach will be like once the buildings are built and we welcome our first set of campers. Walking up to the dining hall for my training Friday morning, I began to envision through Flying Horse Farms what North Star Reach will be like. This is camp I thought to myself. I got goose bumps dreaming of the day when North Star Reach is built and operational and our first campers arrive at camp. What an awesome day that will be.
I was assigned as a “sidekick” for the weekend to an amazing family of six. My role was to ensure the family experienced the magic of camp. My fellow sidekick and I met the family at their car upon arrival. As their four daughters were stepping out of the car, one of the girls grabbed my hand and said with a huge smile, “This is AWEsome”. This is camp. I think she held my hand most of the weekend, leading me from activity to activity.
The family is currently living at the Ronald McDonald house so the girls don’t have much opportunity to run and play and just be kids. That first night the four year old had me doing sprints back and forth outside the dining hall because the running and fresh air felt so good! This is camp.
Watching my camper friend go from craft to craft in the arts and crafts building was so much fun. Seeing the joy in her eyes over her tie dyed pillow case and freshly painted bird house was priceless. This is camp.
On Saturday afternoon, I took three of the girls over to the lake for some fishing. It was a beautiful spring day and we were all so happy to be outside. I was in charge of baiting the big, fat crawler worms on the hook which they loved watching me squirm over. This is camp. The girls caught a bunch of fish that day and I caught a glimpse of how camp was transforming us all.
After dinner, I realized I hadn’t emailed, texted, posted, tweeted, pinned or face-timed all day – I had completely uplugged! This is camp.
By the end of the evening Saturday, I was feeling tired, but refreshed. I was feeling sad camp was ending, but happy to have experienced it. I couldn’t image how I was going to part ways with my new camp family on Sunday. This is camp.
But when Sunday came, I said goodbye knowing that I had helped give this family the gift of a magical, transforming, fun weekend; one that we would all remember for the rest of our lives. This is camp.
I keep this t-shirt on my office wall that my camp friend made me that weekend to remind me of what is important.
My job is to tell the story of the healing powers of camp and the magical transformations that occur. I hope you follow along with me on North Star Reach’s journey as we fulfill our mission to offer life-changing camp experiences to children with serious health challenges and their families. This is Camp and Camp is a Prescription for Fun!
Marji
North Star Reach Marketing Specialist