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On Friday, June 5, I drove to Kansas City to pick-up my good friend Winter (we both traveled as ELCs this past year) and we drove to Camp Quality, near Stewartsville, Missouri, to spend a fun emotional, inspiring and life-changing week with some of the most amazing kids I've ever met!
Camp Quality NWMO is a non-profit, all volunteer organization, affiliated with Camp Quality USA, Inc. Any child who has been diagnosed with cancer (any stage of treatment or remission) can attend Camp Quality, campers must be 6 to 16 years of age. Camp Quality funds the entire expense of camp and the year-round support program for every child. The goals of Camp Quality are to give the children a week of new experiences and friendships, and to give their families a break from the routine of taking care of a sick child. The goals and aims of Camp Quality NWMO are to allow children with cancer to be children again; to create a stress-free environment that offers exciting activities, fosters new friendships and helps give children courage, motivation and emotional strength; and to give children hope for the future in that the camping experience will be such fun they will look forward to and anticipate their next camp; and that the memories from their special week will sustain them in the weeks and months ahead as they continue their medical treatment. This year there was about 105 campers at camp and every camper is paired with their very own companion!
Winter and I met during our Educational Leadership Consultant training last summer, which is where we met Corey, who was also traveling as a Consultant for his fraternity. The three of us have become very great friends, and because both Winter and I are majored in education (Winter- Early Childhood and Me- Elementary) and we love kids, Corey recommended that we apply to be companions at Camp Quality. We were selected to serve as volunteer Companions and were paired with first time campers. My camper was a sweet little girl named Josephine and after our week together, I know we will continue to be friends! I had so much fun with Josephine and all of the amazing children I met at Camp Quality! These children are so inspiring, so brave, so kind and fun to be with- they truly each touched my heart forever.
I was in a cabin with 6 first time campers and 6 first time companions, and we had an amazing dorm mother, Gala! She took the time to get us organized before Camp and she came up with the theme Princess Power! We turned our room into a castle and put together goodie bags of princess prizes and gifts. They loved it!!
A typical day at camp starts around 8 a.m. with breakfast followed by morning activities consisting of horseback riding, swimming, archery, fishing, hair dressing, crafts, canoeing and paddle boating. Lunch starts around 11:30 a.m. and continues until nearly 350 people are fed. Afternoon activities include swimming, water games and inflatable games. Invited guests come by to entertain the children with puppets, storytelling, petting zoo, magic shows, music and so much more. Evening entertainment consists of the ever-popular dance, a talent show, scuba diving, hypnotist, campfire and fireworks. In addition to the daily happenings, our week of Princess Power consisted of make-over parties, nail painting, playing dress-up and having our own parade through Camp, singing songs and dancing, riding on the train, visiting the country store, giving the Camp Director- Tom a make-over during his nap, dancing in the Talent Show, blowing bubbles, plaiyng at the park, playing in the sand box, swinging on the swing and playing pretend. We had a blast!! It was an unforgettable week and it was very hard to say good-bye, but we are all looking forward to the reunion this fall!
Camp Quality NWMO holds an annual reunion in which campers receive memory-mate photos, camp logs and video tapes. This gives the camper an opportunity to share the "Camp Quality Family" with their individual families. Camp Quality is not just a five-day experience, but includes a year-round support system. Unfortunately, some children do not get to come back. So it is very important to make camp a happy experience they will never forget. We look forward to the day that Camp Quality will no longer need to exist, but until a cure for cancer is found, Camp Quality Northwest Missouri will continue to raise money for their annual camp.
To learn more about Camp Quality Northwest Missouri, to donate or get involved, please visit: http://www.campqualitynwmo.org/aboutus.php
