Camp Care Is Back with More Fun than Ever
Being able to connect and bond with other people in similar situations is something everyone can find comforting. This is especially true for children who have been recently affected by cancer.
Camp Care, Cancer Services’ summer day camp, offers fun activities and socialization to kids with cancer and their siblings. The goal is help normalize the impact of cancer in a safe environment. However, due to COVID-19, this year’s Camp Care hosted all their activities virtually.
To help make camp extra special, campers received both activity materials and bonus supplies for each day of the week in their ‘camp in a box’ kit. Some supplies campers received included a Bugs Bunny camp buddy, a swamp tour kit donated by Acadian Swamp Tours, sunscreen, water bottles, construction materials donated by camp sponsor, The Newtron Group, and Dominos gifts cards for a family movie night to enjoy some pizza while watching Space Jam: A New Legacy. All box kits were provided for free thanks to the generosity of donors.
According to one parent of three campers, the virtual style camp was just as fun as the traditional in-person format. “I’ve been with y’all all week watching and it’s been wonderful! Thank y’all so much!”
Camp began this year with a welcome video from The Newtron Group. Throughout the course of the week, campers then participated in different educational activities such as:
- A robotic arm engineering activity led by the Knock Knock Museum
- A gardening lab led by the Cancer Services staff
- A virtual tour of the Bluebonnet Swamp
- Canvas painting guided by Fleur de Me Designs
- A virtual NASA tour with the Goddard Visitor Center
- Exercise activities with the Cancer Services staff
Campers were also treated to a special guest video featuring members of the LSU Women’s basketball team.
“I think camp is really fun and amazing because all of the parents are home working and it can get really boring at home sometimes,” said one camper. “So if you do Camp Care, it’s a lot of fun.”
One of the most exciting highlights of camp came from guest speaker, Hayley Arceneaux. Hayley is a childhood cancer survivor and will be a future passenger on Inspiration4, a private flight by Space X.
Hayley’s guest appearance allowed campers to ask questions and gain insight into why she was going to space. She explained that her three-day space expedition’s mission is to conduct radiation research, make phone calls to St. Jude patients from space and raise money for childhood cancer.
Campers were encouraged by Hayley to never lose sight of their dreams no matter what and hold onto hope for better days. She ended the meeting by saying, “I am going to be the first pediatric cancer survivor and the first St. Jude patient in space, but I am not going to be the last.”
A Space Jam themed end-of-camp party concluded the week. The party included a dance party where campers showed off their dance moves alongside Cancer Services staff. “I feel happy,” said one camper after the party. “It’s not anything in particular. All of it makes me happy.”
For more information on this year’s Camp Care, please click here.
