When so much of your life becomes dictated by what you cannot do, having a week of fun and freedom to explore what you can do is everything!
Welcome to Camp Norden, a summer camp experience for children—ages 8 to 17—who have been impacted by cancer in one way or another. Whether on treatment or off, Camp Norden provides a safe, inclusive, entertaining environment where kids can enjoy a variety of activities and socialize with their peers who have had a similar journey, all with medical supervision.
“So much of their lives has been dictated by their disease,” says Camp Norden co-director Mindy Dykes that “camp is freedom from their diagnosis. Kids can be kids [here] and not cancer patients.”
The summer camp, hosted at Camp Knutson in Crosslake, Minn., offers a full week of activities, competitions and everything in between. “Campers love the variety of planned theme nights, whether it is Water Wars, Color Wars, skits or [otherwise],” Mindy says. “The highlight of camp week is the final night: We dress up, serve fancy appetizers, host an epic talent show and celebrate our time together with a beach party at sunset.”
Plus, Camp Norden offers two options for campers each year:
- In-person camp—created so kids can connect with others like them while participating in typical summer camp activities, like horseback riding and tubing. The onsite medical staff encourages exploration while providing safe and accessible experiences.
- Virtual camp offers connection and creativity that meets kids where they’re at. Young cancer patients from around the country receive a virtual reality headset and meet their counselors and fellow campers virtually, where experts have planned a full week of activities.
While most kids usually can’t wait to be part of Camp Norden, others are tentative at first. “One camper who comes to mind was a first-time attendee, missing previous camp sessions due to cancer relapses and major surgeries,” explains Mindy. “She felt overwhelmed, insecure and scared during her first few days at camp. Even though she was an older teen, she had never spent the night away from home except for when in a hospital. There were a lot of phone calls home and encouragement from staff and campers to keep trying.”
But then, on the last day of camp—at the talent show—Mindy says, “this amazing camper had the audience glued to her. She delivered the most confident lyric performance and had everyone on their feet, cheering her name and clapping along. She became a different person that day, and it was beautiful to witness.”
Really, this is what Camp Norden is all about . . . giving kids with cancer, or those recovering from it, the opportunity to put their diagnosis on the back burner and just focus their time and energy on being a kid—and having fun with other kids. They even make friendships with fellow campers that last a lifetime!
Another benefit is the one available to families. Thanks to the support of caring friends like you, there is no cost to parents or caregivers who want to send their child to camp. Families are often “burdened with so much through diagnosis and treatment,” explains Mindy, that creating a burden-free opportunity has been such a welcome gift to them. Parents feel confident their child will be well taken care of at Camp Norden, and they’re deeply grateful for the short-term and long-term impact that camp makes on their child.
Camp Norden receives messages all the time, year after year, about how kids cannot wait to be back at camp, seeing friends and counselors and bonding through the whole experience. In fact, one week never seems like enough—“they beg us to make it longer!” says Mindy.
Clearly, Camp Norden is not a typical summer camp—it’s a chance for a child to rediscover who they are beyond their diagnosis. And your support for Children’s Cancer Research Fund helps make this possible.
As Mindy says, “It may sound dramatic, but Camp Norden changes these kids’ lives. [Supporting Camp Norden] is one action you will never regret.”
For more information, please visit CampNorden.com.