BALD KNOB — Camp Quality provides a space for children with cancer to fish, swim, make crafts and sit around a campfire without having to worry about doctor visits or the tasks of day-to-day life.
Beth Cameron, executive director of Camp Quality, which took place at Camp Powderfork in Bald Knob on June 11-16, said there are typically 30 to 40 children at camp each year, depending on how many volunteers are available.
“Each camper is assigned their own volunteer, whom we call ‘companions,’ that see to the child’s needs throughout the week and act as a mentor and friend, encouraging them to try new activities and make new friends,” she said.
Companions are over 18 years old, receive extensive training, and have their backgrounds and references checked before being approved as volunteers.
“They are paired one on one with a camper to ensure that each child is safe and has the best camp experience. Our companions often form a relationship with the camper and the camper’s family that extends beyond the week of camp,” Cameron said.
Some companions even attend their campers’ school events throughout the year, such as band recitals or softball games, she said.
Cameron said four nurses who have attended Camp Quality Arkansas-specific training and an EMT stay at the camp to ensure that campers are cared for 24 hours a day. A physician is also on-call at all times.
Camp Quality Arkansas’ motto is Letting Kids With Cancer Be Kids Again, and the staff works to provide a a week of fun for the children, she said.
“We also work to foster life skills that they can take with them into their treatments, their hospitalizations and their daily lives. This camp is more than a week of camp,” she said.
Cameron said the Camp Quality staff is there for the kids throughout the year.
“We will visit them in the hospital, have Santa deliver Christmas presents and invite the whole family to come to our spring and fall events, such as baseball games or [visits to] museums,” Cameron said.
Some of Cameron’s responsibilities include fundraising, planning and ensuring that the camp is complying with all of the policies and procedures of Camp Quality USA.
“During the week of camp, I act as camp director and provide leadership to all volunteers and campers. As director, I wear many hats and do everything from soothing a homesick camper to leading staff and all-camp meetings,” she said.
Activities at the camp include archery, fishing, swimming, crafts, campfire stories and a shaving-cream water-balloon “war” that the kids love, she said.
Kids also have the opportunity to participate in a talent show and a dance.
Cameron said her favorite thing about Camp Quality is seeing returning campers and how excited they are to come to camp, as well as seeing the new campers with huge smiles on their faces.
Camp Quality started in 1989, making next year the 30th year the camp has provided a special place for children with cancer.
The camp is completely funded through donations, civic organizations and grants, Cameron said.
Siblings of eligible children are also able to attend camp when space is available.
“I love these campers, and it means so much to see them grow from year to year into stronger, braver, kinder children, despite all that they are faced with due to their cancer diagnosis and treatment,” she said.
“It means so much to me that we are able to accept siblings on a space-available basis to help foster their confidence and life skills, as well, since we know that cancer affects the entire family.”
Brian Ceola, a companion at Camp Quality, has volunteered at the camp for 10 years.
Ceola said his favorite thing about being a companion is the ability to interact with the campers and watch them grow throughout the years.
“I’ve been a companion to the same camper for nine years. This year he was unable to attend due to treatments in Philly. I did carry his picture around this week to take pictures and send them to him via text,” he said. “He was cracking up.”
Ceola said he was on staff this year and helped by setting up events.
The camp features a talent show on the Wednesday of camp, and seeing the campers come out of their shells is a wonderful experience, he said.
“This year, one of our new campers, Jessica, sang ‘This Is My Fight Song.’ She said it was the first song she sang after her last treatment. There were few dry eyes in the building,” he said.
Ceola said the one-to-one ratio of campers and counselors allows for a true bond and friendship that lasts beyond camp.
“A lot of these kids have gone through so much, [and] this is a time for them to just be kids. They can be with others who have gone through the same thing, so there is no judging, just kids being kids and having fun,” he said.
Staff writer Kayla Baugh can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or kbaugh@arkansasonline.com.