I just enjoyed a week of vacation on Vashon Island recently. Why Vashon, you ask? For the past 5 years, I've spent a week of my summer at camp! Not just any camp, but Camp GoodTimes where I join a stellar group of volunteers who staff this week-long camp for children with Cancer and their siblings. Put on by the American Cancer Society, camp is fully funded by donations and free to campers age 7 - 17. This camp definitely lives up to its name, giving kids a week of crazy, goofy, all-out fun to help them forget for a week the normal day-to-day hardships of their (or their sibling's) sickness. For one week, I have an alter-ego… the kids know me as "Pigtails."
What can be expected at Camp GoodTimes:
A packed week of fun activities
Arts and Crafts
Whip cream fight followed by a "rinse" from the local Fire Department
Carnival including games, prizes, music, and hair paint/design by Gene Juarez
Argosy cruise (including a stop in Seattle so Red Robin patrons can throw french fries to the kids)
Camp fires, smores, songs
Skits - from cute and funny, to just plain nonsensical
Theater Sports performance
Music and dancing
Singing before every meal
All camp water balloon fight
Friday dance
Goofy spontaneity
Pajama breakfast
Cheering another cabin during meal time, making each other dance or "shake their booty"
Italian themed dinner, including accordian players and opera singers!
Cabin "raids" (nice ones)
The "Beatle Bandits" waking you up at the crack of dawn
Polar bear swim in the frigid Puget Sound
Staff volunteers with names like Piglet, Spoon, Bow-Wow, Cheeseburger & Mooselips
Tasty camp food (mmmm chicken nuggets and mac'n'cheese)
Swimming at the local pool
The Tootie-Tah dance
Fishing (picture a 7 year-old catching a shark)
Lasting friendships
LIT (Leaders In Training) program for older teens
Did I mention singing and dancing?
A full nursing staff and onsite doctors to give meds, shots, tend to sick campers, and offer 24 hour medical assistance
And the list goes on and on….
Not only is camp a place for fun, but it really does offer these kids something they cannot get at home. It gives a sense of independence to those that are constantly guarded in real life. It gives the bald, scarred, blind, and sickly kids a sense of belonging, away from the usual stares from those who don't understand. It gives kids a place to feel "normal" and accepted. It gives siblings a chance to let loose, get the attention they might be missing at home, and hang out with other siblings who know what they're going through. It gives parents a nice break and a peace of mind, knowing their children are in good hands. And it gives staff like me a renewed perspective on life. All of us at Camp GoodTimes truly are a family!
We are always looking for energetic volunteers. If you're interested in spending a week of your summer at the happiest place on earth (forget Disneyland!), or to learn more, please contact me at annied@rtpevents.com.
Camp GoodTimes is celebrating their 25th anniversary!
http://www.campgoodtimeswest.org/index.php
~Annie
What can be expected at Camp GoodTimes:
A packed week of fun activities
Arts and Crafts
Whip cream fight followed by a "rinse" from the local Fire Department
Carnival including games, prizes, music, and hair paint/design by Gene Juarez
Argosy cruise (including a stop in Seattle so Red Robin patrons can throw french fries to the kids)
Camp fires, smores, songs
Skits - from cute and funny, to just plain nonsensical
Theater Sports performance
Music and dancing
Singing before every meal
All camp water balloon fight
Friday dance
Goofy spontaneity
Pajama breakfast
Cheering another cabin during meal time, making each other dance or "shake their booty"
Italian themed dinner, including accordian players and opera singers!
Cabin "raids" (nice ones)
The "Beatle Bandits" waking you up at the crack of dawn
Polar bear swim in the frigid Puget Sound
Staff volunteers with names like Piglet, Spoon, Bow-Wow, Cheeseburger & Mooselips
Tasty camp food (mmmm chicken nuggets and mac'n'cheese)
Swimming at the local pool
The Tootie-Tah dance
Fishing (picture a 7 year-old catching a shark)
Lasting friendships
LIT (Leaders In Training) program for older teens
Did I mention singing and dancing?
A full nursing staff and onsite doctors to give meds, shots, tend to sick campers, and offer 24 hour medical assistance
And the list goes on and on….
Not only is camp a place for fun, but it really does offer these kids something they cannot get at home. It gives a sense of independence to those that are constantly guarded in real life. It gives the bald, scarred, blind, and sickly kids a sense of belonging, away from the usual stares from those who don't understand. It gives kids a place to feel "normal" and accepted. It gives siblings a chance to let loose, get the attention they might be missing at home, and hang out with other siblings who know what they're going through. It gives parents a nice break and a peace of mind, knowing their children are in good hands. And it gives staff like me a renewed perspective on life. All of us at Camp GoodTimes truly are a family!
We are always looking for energetic volunteers. If you're interested in spending a week of your summer at the happiest place on earth (forget Disneyland!), or to learn more, please contact me at annied@rtpevents.com.
Camp GoodTimes is celebrating their 25th anniversary!
http://www.campgoodtimeswest.org/index.php
~Annie
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