Camp Letter 2021
Dear Friends,
I hope this finds you and your families healthy and safe and happy in the midst of all the unsettling events of the past year. When I wrote in the last camp letter about the disappointment our campers faced when The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp announced there would be no sessions in the summer of 2020, it never occurred to me that I’d be sending that same message to our precious campers and their families in the spring of 2021. They were disappointed but, sadly, they are used to being disappointed over and over again while cancer is calling the shots in their lives. So they move on, hoping for a break next time. I am totally in awe of their resilience and learn a new lesson with every family we meet.
The camp did hold 8 sessions this summer but of a very different nature. The 4-day sessions were attended by 12 families from the New England area, each had a whole cabin which sleeps 14 in a regular summer session. Masks were worn by everyone on the grounds, all day long, except when eating or sleeping. Rather than the usual 40+ volunteers at each session, there were 9 and they acted as family guides, socially distancing the families while shepherding them to the various program areas in the safest of conditions, one family at a time at the horse barn, two families at boating and fishing, one family at arts and crafts, one at archery, one at the climbing tower, etc. I was so very, very lucky to be a volunteer at one of these sessions and it was the safest I’ve felt since the pandemic began. Of course it had to be this way for these very vulnerable children. I was skeptical at first but, as always, the Camp found a way to make it magical. Magic is the only word to describe a 7-year old singing Shallow from A Star is Born, a performance that would have brought Lady Gaga to her knees, followed by his 8-year old brother singing a medley from Hamilton, both on Stage Night which was held outside in the grass of Cabin Circle. The medical team and program staff worked for months and months to make this summer happen and it was a huge success. Just what these families needed.
So, in the meantime, back in KC, we’ve also tweaked our programs to fit the needs of Children’s Mercy. As I reported last summer, when we weren’t allowed to go into the hospitals, we began packaging craft kits and posting the instructions on YouTube created by some beautiful local children. We would then make weekly drops at Children’s Mercy, Children’s Mercy in Kansas, and KU Med with these bags of fun. But oh how our volunteers missed the children! Then in March we received word that we could take a few volunteers back at a time, not in the usual playroom settings as the kids are not yet allowed to interact with one another, but by taking the projects to their rooms, one at a time, for those that were able. Not the same but just that little bit of contact reminded us how great that interaction feels with these remarkable kids.
Our big plans for an Olympic Camp Week this summer were also dashed but we were able to hold Olympic Week virtually over the closed circuit TV system at Children’s Mercy. Each child was given a kit each morning that we all did together at some point in the day with the help of the hospital’s music therapy department, child life specialists, and Hunter and Millie, the support dogs. It was great fun! The kids made Olympic flags out of pillow cases, tie dye hats, Olympic ring glasses, torches and a myriad of “must have” Olympic stuff. Tuesday was “Game Day” when each child was given 5 different Minute-to-Win-It games that we all played over the closed circuit TV – prizes were included in each bag, as well. Not the same as being together but it was the spirit that counts! Next summer….
For now, things are as normal as they can be without being able to gather the kids together. We take projects to the floors 3 days a week, to the clinics twice a week and to the Kreamer Family Center twice a week with projects for moms and dads who desperately need a break in their day. I’m certain many of these dads never dreamed they would take solace in making wind chimes out of beads and a stick but they cheerily take on many of the projects. We also provide crafts for the kids at the clinics at Children’s Mercy in Kansas.
For more than 30 years now Eric’s Camp Fund has sent more than 350 amazing children to the greatest place on the planet – and we have fallen in love with each of them. So along with the privilege of knowing and loving them comes the heartbreak when they lose their battle with cancer, sickle cell disease or other devastating illnesses. This past year has been one of great loss. Many of you met Lily Jordan at Bob and Jane’s Happy Camper Hour 2 years ago when she sang Stars in the Sky with Lexie, her best camp pal. Her boundless energy, overwhelming optimism and the pure joy she brought to everyone that she touched was like no other. She became a legend at camp a few hours after she entered the gates and participated in some of the Camp’s major fundraisers. Her dream was to be a counselor one day but that never came to be. She asked that her ashes be scattered at camp when she lost her fight with cancer last September.
And then in June we lost another beautiful young girl, Logan Lowrey. Like Lily, Logan had recently celebrated her 18th birthday – and a few weeks later graduated from Shawnee Mission East where she played the saxophone in the Jazz Band. Last fall she was chosen as the Homecoming Queen by her classmates. When Logan was at Children’s Mercy receiving chemotherapy treatments, she insisted on having them early in the morning on her last day so she could go straight to band practice at East before she went home to recover from the treatments. Logan was wise beyond her years, a trait we see in many of our kids, and so very, very kind. As you look at these beautiful faces, it’s easy to forget what was going on in their world. I’m guessing that might be how they got through each day – but it’s humbling, for sure.
As the years have gone by, the stories with happy endings outnumber those that end in heartbreak as with Lily and Logan. So when Bob, Jane and I were invited to attend Lexie’s graduation party, it was the best event of the year. Lexie started going to camp with us when she was 11 and I remember the day I first met her like it was yesterday. I had been in her room for about 3 minutes that day when I knew she had to go to camp with us and pretty much signed her up on the spot! And she has been inspiring us ever since! At the party we learned she not only graduated with honors while working 2 jobs (she bought a NEW car with her earnings) but already has 16 hours at junior college where she will finish that degree, go on to college for her bachelor’s and then law school where she plans to specialize in family law! This is going to be fun to watch!
Even though our time to get to know the kids in the hospitals and their families these days is not as intense as when we get to know them at camp, it never takes long to recognize that each of them is very special. And our amazing volunteers do such a terrific job of making them feel comfortable and loved. When Eric came up with his great idea to send kids to camp, he knew better than anyone that they deserved something special to look forward to if they were going to get through the days of injections and procedures and loneliness. Because of his thoughtful vision, kindness and huge heart, the lives of thousands of precious kids have been filled with a little more joy and a lot more hope. We know he would be so pleased and grateful to you for supporting him in his dream. You truly make a difference and we thank you.
With love,
Patsy
In the absence of recent photos, I dove into the archives, aka 31 photo albums, and found some great faces from the 90’s. The words joy and freedom and peace come to mind. By the way, I literally have thousands more that reflect that same happiness if you ever need a lift! Enjoy…
