Camp Kesem Hosting Counselor Sessions
Camp Kesem, SLU’s chapter of the nationwide nonprofit dedicated to providing a free summer camp experience to children impacted by a parent’s cancer diagnosis, will host two information sessions for those interested in being camp counselors in the summer of 2019.
The first session will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29, and a second session will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5. Both sessions will be held in Room 0200, Morrissey Hall.
SLU’s camp has grown dramatically since it began in 2013 with 27 campers. Last year, the camp drew 115 kids ages six to 16. SLU’s Camp Kesem is among the more than 100 chapters in 40 states across the country, and its volunteers raised $105,000 last year to support the program.
Nearly 60 SLU students have volunteered as counselors for the camp, each raising $500 in addition to donating their time at Camp Kesem last year. About 30 other volunteers have supported Camp Kesem in other capacities.
SLU alumna Shannon Pace (Nursing ’18) became involved with the camp after she lost her father to a heart attack likely linked to Non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2016.
“It’s the best week of the year. It’s a way for campers to escape, to be a kid again and be happy when their parents are going through a rough time,” Pace said in an interview earlier this year. “At camp, there are people just like them who they can relate to. Everyone understands without saying anything. My campers were my role models. Being with them was so much fun. They made me laugh more than I had in a while. They reminded me that while the hard times stink, at camp I was with people who loved me and lifted me up.”
The application deadline to volunteer as a counselor is Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019. For more information or questions, contact slu.volunteer@campkesem.org.