Camp Kesem MIT
the problem:
Cancer is a devastating disease at any age, but it is especially difficult for children in families coping with cancer. Children who have a parent who has or has had cancer often lack the support system they need because they are neither physically ill nor visibly distinct from their peers. Additionally, the stressful situation they deal with on a daily basis may be unknown to their peers and prominent adults, causing their complex emotions to go unnoticed. For these reasons, children whose parents have or have had cancer often feel isolated, guilty, angry, or fearful. Gone are the simple childhood pleasures such as playing with friends burden-free; instead, children are forced to confront the harsh realities of cancer without any respite. Camp Kesem MIT offers a summer camp for kids whose parents have or have had cancer, providing them with a week in which they can just be kids. Campers participate in normal camp activities such as swimming, arts and crafts, and sports; what makes Camp Kesem special is that during these activities, campers realize they are surrounded by other children in the same situation.
vital stats:
people impacted:
200people involved:
50why it's important:
Cancer is both a wide-ranging and intensely personal disease: nearly everyone knows a person who has been affected by cancer, and to know someone affected by cancer is to have a meaningful connection to fighting the disease. Additionally, cancer does not discriminate along ethnic or socioeconomic lines, but it does put a tremendous emotional and financial strain on all families. Since there is currently no cure, the best we can offer is research funding, treatment options, and unconditional love and support. The last point is where Camp Kesem MIT comes in.
Camp Kesem MIT is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a safe, supportive, and exciting weeklong summer camp for children whose parents have or have had cancer. Completely run by college students, Camp Kesem is also offered completely free to financially stressed families, making it easily accessible to those children who might otherwise not have the resources and opportunity to escape the stress and worries of their lives. Ultimately, Camp Kesem provides a solution to the isolation that cancer creates by showing children that they are not alone.
the plan of action:
The MIT branch of Camp Kesem held our first camp in August 2007, totaling 20 volunteers and 13 campers. In our second session in August 2008, 25 student volunteers served 33 campers. For our third session in August 2009, we will expand to serve 60 total campers between our regular camp for children ages 6-13 and our new Teen Program for kids ages 14-16, with a maximum of 40 student volunteers. The pilot edition of the Teen Program will offer ten to fifteen children a camp experience focusing on leadership, community service, and wilderness skills. In the process, we have touched the lives of all the families and counselors involved, as well as countless health providers and community members who take heart in college students providing such a valuable volunteer service.
Camp Kesem originally began at Stanford University in 2000 through Hillel at Stanford, and it has expanded to Duke, Indiana, Michigan State, Northwestern, UC-Davis, UCLA, UC-San Diego, Illinois, Notre Dame, and Virginia. Each of the 22 campus chapters is completely run by student volunteers.
how you can get involved:
Students who attend a Camp Kesem campus can join their school's chapter and help out with a variety of tasks required to run a nonprofit organization, such as fund-raising, volunteering as a counselor, interfacing with community partners, and organizing activities. College students whose campus does not currently offer a Camp Kesem can contact the national branch to discuss starting their own chapter.
Community members can help Camp Kesem by spreading the word that this resource is available and assisting in fund-raising efforts. There are few programs that cater to such a specific demographic, and camp can really make a difference to families who are dealing with the effects of cancer. Because camp is offered free, each campus is responsible for raising upwards of $20,000 per year; community support would go a long way toward meeting that goal.
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Comments
This is a cool idea. Can you give more specifics about the camp? What kinds of thing do the kids do? And who are YOU? Are you a cancer survivor who came up with this idea?
It would be cool to lear more...