#camp quality

Camp Quality Christmas Crack Ups.

Q: Why are Christmas Cracker jokes so unfunny?

A: Because Santa has a clause in his contract.

Awful, eh? That’s why I came up with the idea of the world’s first actually funny Christmas Cracker jokes for kid’s cancer charity Camp Quality. Funny because some of Australia’s best comedians wrote the jokes.

To make it a reality, we ran a pozible campaign, with the aim of raising $100,000 in six weeks. A month in and the target was met, thanks to segments on The Today Show, Sunrise, ABC News, SBS, Viceland, and the entire News Limited network, including the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun. All with a media spend of precisely $0.

The grand total raised was a tick over $140,000 and the hope is that this is a great business case to take to a major retailer so that they are stocked for next Christmas.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Camp Quality Northwestern Ontario is currently seeking campers for its 2015 summer camp, taking place July 12-18 at Camp Duncan on East Loon Lake (45 minutes north of Thunder Bay).

Children 4-18 who have cancer or are in remission, and up to one sibling in the same age range, are eligible to attend for free (including travel).

Camper application deadline: May 31

For…

RCAHer Catie Bargerstock spent a portion of her summer at Camp Quality, a volunteer-run camp in Fenton, Michigan, for children with cancer. We're excited to share her beautiful reflection and photos with you today, just a few weeks away from the kick-off of fall semester.

Camp Quality is a non-profit organization that strives to “let kids with cancer be kids again”. The camp is run by volunteers, and the families pay absolutely nothing to send their child to camp. In July I spent a week volunteering as a companion at Camp Quality Michigan, in Fenton. Every child that attends is paired with one volunteer called a companion, and the role of companion is simple: make sure your camper has the time of their life this week.

I was told at training and by returning volunteers to prepare myself for a life changing week; but you never really know what is going to change your life, or in my case, who. First, the community of people running this program astounded me. From the Camp Director, to the Arts and Crafts Coordinator, to every companion, I was impressed by the excitement and compassion each individual brought. Then the campers arrived and the place exploded with enthusiasm. It was a mix between reuniting returning camper/companion pairs and a meet and greet for new matches. As a first year companion, I was a new match for my camper, and luckily we hit it off right away.

The kids were kids, there was no denying that. I woke up at 7 a.m. every day bombarded with eagerness and questions about what today’s agenda would look like, and running from activity to activity to pack as much fun into each day as possible. It was easy to forget that these kids had cancer, and I often did. But every now and then I would be reminded by how casually they spoke of chemotherapy and test results, or by visits to the Medical Center for daily medication. These simple reminders helped me realize the vast benefits of this place, and how refreshing and wonderful it must be for the kids to have this kind of community--one where their advanced medical vocabulary, scars, and physical limitations are not judged, but easily understood and embraced. Where the lows are consoled in common company, and the highs are ecstatically celebrated by jubilant victors.  

From horseback riding, to archery, to crafts and zip lining, the week flew by. The last day concluded with a closing ceremony and a graduation. Since the camp is for kids, once campers graduate high school they can no longer attend. This year five campers reached their last year, and walked across the stage in caps and gowns. Many of them attended camp for upwards of four or five years and their walk across the stage was so symbolic of just how far they’ve come. These young people have faced hard times with strength, they have persevered in times of doubt and this moment left me awe struck. I hope to see all of those kids make it across that stage and onto even greater things.