Perspective: The Life-Changing Power of Camp

In this post, Camp Sunshine Program Manager Mariah Sadenwater shares a personal reflection about camp, exploring why summer camp is such an important part of her life and how Camp Sunshine continues to impact campers and their families long after the few days they spend together each summer.

Why Camp

Summer camp, for me, was always a safe haven away from the rest of life. As a kid it was the one place where I felt like I could truly be myself - not the version my parents, friends, or church expected me to be. As I grew up, this became more and more true and I continually discovered new layers about myself every summer as a camper, and then later as a camp staff member. I discovered so many things: a broader world view, the realization that I could work harder than I ever thought possible, and that I could be goofy and be fully accepted. 

When I was a child, I remember processing through friendships, crushes, hardships with my brother and parents, all the normal childhood stuff, with my counselor and cabinmates. Most people stop going to summer camp around 16, but there are some of us who find the community and the safety that summer camp gives and it’s like a lifeline we can’t let go of.

Camp Sunshine is a place that means so much to the people who are involved for different but overlapping reasons. While at camp, there are four main "stakeholders" whose perspectives we are considering:  campers, camper families, counselors, and leadership. Over the next two blogs, I want to walk through what I see as the “why” for each of these groups.

Campers

These are the people that immediately come to everyone’s mind when they think of Camp Sunshine, but I often feel like they are misrepresented. People will see a group of adults with disabilities and assume that “we” (those of us without disabilities who are making camp happen) are the ones giving of ourselves or engaging in charity work to be with our campers. That couldn't be further from the truth. Our campers bring incredible light, joy, and perspective to Camp Sunshine, teaching us something new each year. Camp holds deep meaning for campers because it’s a space where disability is embraced and celebrated. For some, it’s one of the few places where they can freely use their assistive devices without judgment or discomfort from others. They are not only allowed but encouraged to wear the headphones, use the wheelchair or walker, to stim* from excitement, and to be authentically themselves. We provide a space in which campers can take whatever time is needed in order to do their care tasks independently if they’d like. We are a haven from the expectations and pressures of the world. Camp is a sacred place of being and asking for exactly what is needed without needing to apologize or explain.

When our campers are in a place where they don’t have to shrink their needs, it opens them up to being their truest selves. Our campers are funny, kind, and resilient people who have so much to teach us. I’ve seen some of the greatest empathy displayed at camp by a camper to their counselor - not the other way around. Every summer I hear counselors take away lessons from camp like “my camper taught me to slow down” and “my camper taught me what it means to love unconditionally.” Because Camp Sunshine is a place where adults with disabilities can drop their shoulders and be exactly who they are in that exact moment, we get to bear witness to the indescribable love that flows so freely. You haven’t known love or joy until you’ve seen the love and joy that is seeping out of every pore of our campers’ beautiful faces. When our campers get dropped off at camp, many of them throw their hands in the air in the most triumphant way as if they’re saying with their whole body “I’m home, again!”

Camp Sunshine is a place where campers are:

• Valued

• Listened to

• Leaders

• Teachers

• Loved

• Empowered

• Trusted and believed

• Challenged

Camper Families

As someone with a sibling who has a disability, I understand what it’s like to drop off a camper, hoping he’ll have the same experiences I did, yet feeling a pit of anxiety as we drive away. Will his counselor understand that he needs extra help? Will someone notice that he didn’t understand the instructions? Will his counselor know how to take care of his hearing aids? Will his cabinmates include him?

I think the “why” for our families is two-fold. On one hand they need the respite from care-taking, and on the other, they know their loved one is in a place of deep acceptance. The respite we can provide for families is only four days and many families regularly tell us they wish it was more. But those four days give parents time to focus on their marriage, to go on weekend trips with their friends, to get good sleep, and to metaphorically set down all that they carry. These families, especially if their loved ones live with them, carry so much unseen burden and often do it with very little community support. Camp Sunshine is a space where they can confidently drop off their loved one and take a break for a few days.

As one parent shared: Because our son has Type 1 diabetes and needs assistance managing it, he has never attended overnight camp before, or spent the night at someone’s house. The medical team were so helpful and gave us peace of mind! This was a wonderful step of independence! 

The other piece is that a loved one isn't just physically safe and cared for,but they are in a space of deep love and acceptance. In some ways Camp Sunshine gives families a new perspective on their loved one - seeing them interact with their counselor, seeing them sing on stage at the talent show, and seeing pictures from throughout the week. Families can see evidence of their loved one interacting with the world around them as their truest and most empowered selves. 

Stay Tuned for Part Two!

In my next post, I’ll share how our volunteer counselors and leadership team experience camp and how the impact of those moments continues to shape their lives at home, at work, and in their communities.