Let Kids be Kids

Camp Wapiyapi is a local Colorado non-profit that provides two free weeklong summer camps for children battling cancer and their siblings giving the entire family a much needed break. I first experienced the magic of camp in 2015 when I volunteered to be a companion where I was matched with a camper to be their fun champion. My job was to ensure they had the best week of the year whether that be 1,000 games of putt putt, to crafting friendship bracelets, to archery, to high-ropes, and even the occasional "prank" on their cabin leader where you would leave a bunch of balloons on their bunk. The biggest thing is they get to choose their experience. Camp provides a vital treatment that I never would have thought of had I not spent that and many future summers there. That treatment is the attention to the patient's siblings and the opportunity for everyone to be a kid again. A majority of attention tends to be given to the child who is battling cancer, understandably so, and this often leaves the siblings feeling guilty about being upset, about being ignored, and the patient feeling guilty that they take so much time, and attention from everyone in their lives. Camp erases this. Everyone at camp is going through a similar situation and it takes them from being "the kid with cancer, or the kid with a brother/sister with cancer" to being Kyle who loves making tie-dye shirts. So instead of being the "special one" each camper now is a part of a community where they aren't perceived differently and can be just a kid. Every kid at camp gets the same attention and opportunity to craft their experience regardless if they are a patient or a sibling. It costs over $2,000 per camper to create this magical experience that changes the lives of countless children and families. I hope you will join us in making that change.  

Thank you!

Jimmy Zerr