I heard about Krewe de Camp during my sophomore year of high school. I had never worked at a summer camp or even attended one and I had never worked with special needs children. However, I was in search of summer volunteer opportunities and one of my closest friends had agreed to go with me. What I didn't know then was that Krewe de Camp would be so much more than volunteer hours and a week long getaway with my closest friend.
I arrived excited and nervous. I met so many wonderful people that first day. I still had no idea what I was getting myself into, but the camp veterans reassured me that it would be the best week of my life. Man, were they right. The days flew by and before I knew it, one of the greatest weeks of my life ended much too quickly.
The camp is designed so that each camper has one or two attendants who care for him/her all week. Our obligations include helping the campers with any daily tasks that may be difficult, being involved in camp activities from swimming to crafts to sports, and most importantly, putting our camper and his/her needs before our own and making sure they have the greatest week ever.
My camper ended up being a young girl who lived in my neighborhood. We had so much in common and she truly inspired me in so many ways. She is forever special to me and to this day I still keep in touch with her and her family. The entire week I learned so much about myself and about disabled and special needs people.
I learned how to be selfless and put others before myself. I learned how to be a team player because I had never worked in a setting like this before. I learned how to step out of my comfort zone and surround myself with people different than myself. I let go of technology for the majority of the week and I learned to live more in the moment. Most importantly, I learned what truly matters in life is putting your whole heart into the things you are passionate about. That week, I danced like nobody was watching. I sung at the top of my lungs, even when my voice was giving out. I did anything to put a smile on my camper's face. I have never felt so free in my life. I fell in love with everything about camp and loved every single camper.
That week I was challenged in so many ways. Every single moment was more than worth it. I still keep in touch with some of the people I met through KDC and I will always have a special place in my heart for this amazing camp. They are truly one of the greatest organizations I know. I worked the Camp a second year and, unfortunately, have been unable to return since then, but I still keep up with them and love thinking about all of my beautiful memories there.
Long live the Tigerettes of Cabin two: Summer 2012
