Cook Children's Camps for Kids Looking for Volunteer Counselors
Camp is a cherished tradition for many kids, and Camps for Kids at Cook Children's makes sure no illness holds our patients back. We’re looking for more camp counselors to join the experience.
Camps for Kids are specialized camps that offer unforgettable experiences – from reeling in a fish to conquering the ropes course. They also go beyond traditional fun as they provide opportunities for campers to build supportive, lasting relationships with others who share similar life experiences.
Each weeklong camp and weekend retreat focuses on a different diagnosis or patient population. The goal is to create a sense of normalcy by providing experiences that help campers learn skills and gain independence. Click here to view a list of summer and weekend camps opportunities provided for eligible patients.
Camp staff and medical staff work together to operate the camps, which creates a safe environment where kids can simply be themselves and share the magic of camp.
Kimberly Henry, a respiratory therapist at Cook Children's, has volunteered at camps for 18 years.
Henry says these camps are an opportunity for education and learning more about what's necessary for daily care and health. Campers learn and grow alongside other children like themselves.
“I love the time spent with the campers making sure they are having a great time and learning how to take ownership,” Henry said. “To me, it’s rewarding to turn a child’s thoughts from ‘I can’t do that because I have muscular dystrophy or asthma’ to, ‘I can do that and I have muscular dystrophy or asthma.’”
Liz Barriteau, respiratory patient family asthma and trach educator at Cook Children’s, encourages volunteers to get involved with Camps for Kids. She says the most rewarding aspect of volunteering at Camps for Kids is “seeing the children being set free.”
“My advice is that if you like working with children, just do it!” Barriteau said. “It is very rewarding, and it is for a great cause. Camps need counselors, male and female, in order for camps to function well and safely. Without counselors, there is no Camps for Kids.”
If you’d like to volunteer at a camp this summer, please reach out to that camp’s coordinator listed here.
To donate:
Camps for Kids is a donor-funded program ensuring that all campers’ fees are provided. Each camp is targeted to provide memorable experiences to campers with a similar diagnosis. If you’d like to donate and provide these deserving children an experience that will impact them for the rest of their lives, click here.
