Rock climbing, hosting basketball tournaments and mentoring children ‘mdash; it’s all in a day’s work for UCSD student leaders running Camp Kesem. The fun, however, may be in short supply this summer.
The UCSD chapter of Camp Kesem, a college-run summer camp for 6- to 13-year-olds whose parents have or have had cancer, is $10,000 short of meeting its financial need of $45,000 this year. With significantly less funding, the organization may not be able to support all 60 kids and 30 counselors.
Camp Kesem, a nation wide organization, was founded by a group of students from Stanford University in 2000 after they noticed that most programs assist people with cancer; few support families of cancer patients.
‘[The founders of the camp] found out that children who had parents affected by a terminal illness were often an overlooked group,’ said Angel Robinson, a camp counselor who serves as a student advisor on the West Regional Advisory Board for Camp Kesem National. ‘There are a lot of groups and services offered to the patients themselves that have cancer, but those children who had to grow up and deal with a lot of things that children don’t usually have to deal with didn’t necessarily get the psychological services they needed.’
At Camp Kesem, children participate in activities such as swimming, rock climbing and other sports. UCSD’s Camp Kesem will be held in Big Bear this year, provided the group meets its fundraising goal.
Camp organizers are particularly proud to provide activities, food and housing to the campers for free (without donations, Kesem would cost $300 per camper, and more for staff pay).
‘I think a lot of the kids, when they’re dealing with this, have to grow up a lot faster than a lot of other kids in elementary school,’ Robinson said. ‘And some students don’t understand why they’re sad, why they’re in a bad mood and it’s hard to empathize when you’re not going through the same thing, especially when you’re a child. It’s phenomenal to let them know they’re not alone and there are plenty of kids like them.’
The UCSD chapter of Camp Kesem has raised $35,000 through a variety of fundraisers, including passing out flyers for restaurants on Library Walk, working the concession stand at PETCO Park and hosting events such as Komedy for Kesem, a comedy show and raffle during Fall Quarter.
An additional portion of the funds come from donations and grants from individuals and corporations.
According to Justin Brumer, a camp counselor for 8- to 9-year-olds, this year’s shortage is partly due to the fact that larger grants have decreased as a result of the poor economic climate.
Camp Kesem, whose name means ‘magic’ in Hebrew, is still looking to pull off a few fundraising tricks to earn the last $10,000. If organizers do not meet that goal, they will have to cut the number of campers and counselors, as well as the variety of activities offered at the camp.
‘We have some extremely dedicated people who are constantly looking to fundraise and do everything they can to get the contributions, so I see no reason why we can’t [meet the fundraising goals],’ Brumer said. ‘It’s been very difficult, but at the same time I think it’s still possible.’
The camp’s student leaders are hopping into a phone booth and changing into their camping gear to come up with $10,000 more through new fundraising events and strategies.
One of the larger events is a basketball tourna
ment with a $170 buy-in for a team of 10 players. Other student leaders are selling colored circles, which will form the body of a caterpillar ‘mdash; the camp’s logo ‘mdash; when linked together.
The UCSD chapter is also asking parents for donations, which is something they have never done in the past.
‘We have been majorly brainstorming and we are very confident that we are going to meet our goal,’ said Ingrid Leu, the student support co-chair, who recruits and trains counselors and fundraises for the camp.
According to Camp Kesem’s counselors, the camp doesn’t just do amazing things for kids. The counselors themselves, who do everything from playing sports with campers to hosting ‘cabin chats,’ are deeply moved by the children and their resilience.
‘I loved being a counselor,’ Robinson said. ‘Being with the kids was amazing. It was such a growing experience being around children who have to deal with a lot more than the simple things that I had to deal with.’
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