2012 - 2016

CAMP SUNSHINE

When I was a teenager in high school, I was offered the opportunity to volunteer through my local church at Camp Sunshine in Casco, ME.  Camp Sunshine is a camp for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Camp sessions are organized by illness, which allows for the kids, their siblings, and their parents, make wonderful life-long connections with others in the same situation. I first began volunteering at Camp during the Fanconi Anemia weeks, as a counselor first for the Tot Lot (3-5 year olds) and later the 9-12 year olds.  The tight-knit but welcoming community drew me in, and I learned just as much from the kids as I attempted to teach them.  I became motivated to do more, and so applied for an internship one summer, where I worked during the Lupus, Kidney/Solid Organ Transplant, Brain Tumor, and General Oncology weeks.  During these sessions I was a counselor in the Tot Lot and the 9-12 group, as well as a one-on-one counselor, and a head counselor in the 9-12 group.  Camp Sunshine is truly one of my favorite places on earth, and I try to find time to volunteer there whenever I can.