Healing magic Healing magic (March 12, 2003)

Stanford students help raise spirits of kids whose parents have cancer

by Cheri Lucas

Kesem in Hebrew means magic. For the past two summers, dozens of kids have experienced a world of enchantment at Camp Kesem, a program created by Stanford University students for children whose parents have -- or had -- cancer. This summer, the tradition continues.

In spring 2000, four Jewish students at Stanford assessed the needs of San Francisco Bay Area children as part of a student-service project. They concluded that children with a parent suffering from or in remission from cancer had needs that were not being met by existing Bay Area programs.

In association with the Hillel Foundation, a Jewish non-profit organization, the students held the first session of Camp Kesem in June 2001 at Valley of the Moon Camp in Glen Ellen, Calif. Thirty-seven children, aged six to 12, came to the free program, which included arts, music and drama programs, outdoor activities, and visits by clowns, magicians, and other performers.

Although affiliated with Hillel, the camp is secular. Its goal is to provide a comfortable and anxiety-free environment for children who deal with similar family troubles. "They deal with really difficult issues, but they just want to be like everyone else. They want to have fun, run and play, and laugh (like) 'normal' kids do," said Jon Marron, a former counselor and current student coordinator.

The parent of one 7-year-old camper said, "Camp Kesem made him feel safe in a world that he discovered at an early age is insecure, and relaxed him by having seven days of non-stop fun."

The impact of the camp on kids impressed Marron. It was incredible, he said, "to see them open up, brighten, and blossom over the course of a little week-long camp is beyond belief." The camp offers no direct counseling for the children, but nightly "cabin chats" allow campers to talk with their peers, whether to re-cap the day's events or to disclose some deeper thoughts on their mind.

"By the end of the week, it's common for the kids to find out what issues they have in common with other campers," said Debbie Sadow, camp project coordinator and member of the Hillel staff.

Applications for this summer's camp, which will be held from June 16-23 in Nevada City, Calif., are currently being accepted. About 60 children signed up in the past month, and15 slots remain. The 2003 session will accept children aged six to 13, regardless of race, religion, or financial status. About 40 Stanford volunteers will accompany them, to maintain a counselor-to-camper ratio of two to one. Five student coordinators, along with Sadow, comprise the leadership core of the program, supervising areas such as fundraising, administration and community relations. In pre-camp months, counselors participate in three training sessions of skill and team-building exercises as well as interact with professionals to educate themselves about cancer and its social and emotional impact on children, Marron said. They also study applicant files to become familiar with the children's experiences. Counselors come from different backgrounds, but many have a personal link to cancer. "This helps the kids because they can really see the connection that they have with counselors. They see that counselors are very much older versions of themselves," Marron said. Some of the counselors form such close friendships with the kids that they have kept in touch after the camp, through Internet messaging and letters.

"I've always loved working with kids. The children that we get to work with at Camp Kesem unfortunately miss out on a lot of what most people take for granted as being part of childhood, so (trying) to give some of that back to them is exciting, fun, and rewarding," Marron said. The project is funded through a combination of foundation and corporate grants, organizational sponsorships, and private donations. The staff and volunteers still need to raise $80,000 to support this year's camp, Sadow said.

In addition to past funding from major donors such as the Haas Fund, the Maisin Foundation, and Wells Fargo, they have received support from the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, the Ziv Tzedakah Fund, several student residences, and, just recently, the Sand Hill Foundation.

Expenses include providing a week of camp to 75 children, counselor training, educational speakers, administration, camp reunions, and professional supervision, said fundraising coordinator Sophie Messer. Student volunteers raise all the money needed in order to make the free camp possible, contacting churches, synagogues, support groups, schools, and pre-schools.

A professional staff is present when camp is in session. Students have access to a nurse and therapist, and a doctor is available on-call. An advisory committee, which meets monthly with Camp Kesem leaders, is composed of medical professionals who steer the student-coordinators during the planning months.

Camp organizers also plan reunions in the fall and spring for past campers and counselors to keep up their friendships with one another. On April 13, a fundraising brunch will be held for previous campers, their parents, and counselors. Donors and community members are also invited to hear educational lectures and motivational speeches by past participants and guests, such as Terry Healey, cancer survivor and author of "At Face Value," who will speak about the effects of cancer beyond the physiological. To contact Camp Kesem, call (650) 723-1603, e-mail campkesem@stanford.edu, or go to http://hillel.stanford.edu/kesemweb. Donations can be sent to c/o Hillel at Stanford, P.O. Box 20526, Stanford, 94309.