Camp Kesem offers kids chance to have fun

When junior Jillian Schenkel was a senior in high school her father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. With the help of IU’s Camp Kesem, she was able to fearlessly face her father’s disease. \nThree years and 39 radiation treatments later, her father is now cancer-free. \nCamp Kesem is a free, weeklong camp for children ages 6 to 13 whose parents have or had cancer. The camp gives children the opportunity to just have fun and deal with their parents’ disease. \nSchenkel, who began volunteering for Camp Kesem in 2006, said being a member of the organization was beneficial as a therapy to get through the hardships during the time of her father’s cancer. \n“I went home a lot (when he was diagnosed),” she said. “It was hard, but I knew he’d be OK.”\nThe camp just finished its third summer at IU with a record-high enrollment of 60 campers, an increase from 40 campers last year. During the first year, 21 campers participated. \nJunior Leslie Leonard, co-chair of IU’s Camp Kesem, said with increasing enrollment, the camp is looking to increase its attendance to 75 campers next year. \nCamp Kesem is run strictly through donations and fundraisers year-round to raise enough money to run the camp. Leonard said the main source of fundraising comes from a letter writing party, where a student sends a pre-written donation letter to anyone they can think of. \n“That’s where we get a bulk of our money,” she said, adding Camp Kesem received $48,000 from the letter party last year. \nLeonard said this year they have a goal of receiving $80,000 through private donations. \nWhile working with Camp Kesem, Schenkel’s greatest experience was watching the kids be so strong after losing a parent. \n“Just seeing kids that are 6 years old be so strong after losing a parent or about to lose a parent, and children who are 13 years old doing the same thing, (is the best experience),” she said. \nLeonard joined Camp Kesem for different reasons than Schenkel. Leonard said she loved working with kids and thought it would be a great idea to get involved. She didn’t know she would get so emotionally attached. \n“When I met the kids and started talking to them, I got hooked,” she said. “That’s when I decided I really wanted to get involved.” \nLeonard said the best aspect of being a member of Camp Kesem is knowing that the organization is helping children. \n“It’s great to help the students on campus but for me, the best part of it is how much you affect these kids,” she said. \nLeonard feels the organization is starting to grow on campus, and their main goal is to inform people what the camp does.\nDespite a sunny Thursday evening, Camp Kesem’s rock-climbing event, which was scheduled in Dunn Meadow to raise awareness, was canceled due to the possibility of storms. Leonard said they are looking to reschedule the event, but as of right now, there is no date planned. \nCamp Kesem will be outside from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at 10th Street and Fee Lane serving free cookies and brownies. For anyone interested in volunteering, there will be two call-out meetings at 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in the Psychology Building, Room 101.