Led by six Bowdoin students, along with volunteers from around the country, 30 children with life-threatening cancer and their families substituted natural light for the fluorescent bulbs of oncology wards this past Columbus Day in Casco, Maine at Camp Sunshine.
Caitlin MacDonald, Coordinator of Community Service Programs, who led the students on their Alternative Fall Break, labeled the trip "a big success."
Sunshine, a camp for children with serious diseases and conditions, focuses on "alleviating the strain that a life-threatening illness takes not only on the sick child but also on other family members," according to its website.
Situated on donated land on Sebago Lake and heavily dependent on volunteers, Camp Sunshine provides, free of cost, a typical summer camp experience for children and their families. Facilities include volleyball, basketball and shuffleboard courts, an indoor pool, a miniature golf course, playgrounds, a climbing wall, and a teen game room complete with billiards, ping-pong and foosball.
The camp also provides meals, counseling, and private housing for each family. Weekly sessions run throughout the summer. Families come for long weekends during the rest of the year.
Bowdoin students arrived in Casco, northwest of Brunswick, on Friday and settled into their rooms, which, volunteers noted, are surprisingly spacious. That evening, an orientation session introduced the 70 or so volunteers to the camp and its mission.
Families arrived the next day and were enthusiastically welcomed by Bowdoin students. They helped carry the families' bags to their rooms, or "suites" as they are rightly called?each family suite has two twin beds, two bunk beds, a futon, and full bathroom.
Saturday night, after dinner and various activities, a magician performed to the delight of many campers. On Sunday and part of Monday, children participated in a wide variety of activities, including a hula-hooping contest, jack o' lantern carving, kayaking, and fishing.
While the kids were off having fun, parents spent time resting and talking with other adults who understood their situation, that is, other parents who were raising children with cancer. Each afternoon, there was allotted family time and after dinner each evening, there was a special performance of some kind.
The goal of Camp Sunshine cannot be seen so much in any specific activity or event that occurs there or in the nice rooms that each family gets. Rather, all the elements that the Camp provides to the families taken together give a insight into the true gift that they receive in Casco.
For parents, Camp Sunshine gives them a few days when they do not have to worry about cooking meals, or driving their kids to this activity or that doctor's appointment. For children burdened with a life-threatening disease, the camp allows them to let loose and have fun?to be kids.
Parents and children alike are very thankful to the volunteers for making the camp possible. "There is this overall feeling you can tell how appreciative the families are," MacDonald said.
In what amounts to a dark time in their lives, Camp Sunshine gives families with kids burdened by life-threatening illnesses a few days of light.
"It was one of the most fun and rewarding experiences I've ever had," said Lisa Peterson '07, one of the students who volunteered. "The whole atmosphere of the camp is happy, upbeat, and full of hope. The families I met were such an inspiration. I can't wait to go back."
Amy Ear '07, another Bowdoin volunteer, also felt renewed after her experience. "I was a bit intimidated at first because I thought it would be sad to see kids with cancer," she said, "But really, everyone was just there to have a good time. It was an amazing weekend and I'm going to be in a good mood for the next few weeks."
?Kerry Elson also contributed to this report.