Students work to raise funds for children's camp
By LINDA SKALSKI
News Writer
Notre Dame juniors Adam Dell and Dan Doherty are close to realizing their dream as they strive to raise the remaining funds to run their Camp Kesem project.
The project is a weeklong summer camp for children ages 6 to 13 in the South Bend area who has a parent who has suffered or died from cancer. The camp is the first of its kind locally and a needed addition, Dell and Doherty said.
"I had a personal reason for looking into the issue, because of my experience with my mom having cancer," said Dell. "This is something I can relate to, and I know that a lot of times those needs go unaddressed."
Dell initially looked on campus for programs that addressed the issue of cancer, but he did not find any long-term, large-scale efforts. Instead, Dell and Doherty officially opened a business through the Indiana state government and applied for non-profit status through the Internal Revenue Service so that all donations would be tax-deductible.
They modeled Camp Kesem after a successful camp opened by Stanford University students in summer 2001 for children of parents suffering from cancer.
"Often when a kid's mom or dad is in the hospital, all the focus is on the parent, and the focus is taken away from the kid," said Doherty. "You can't tell when the kid is upset because there is no physical disease that you can see."
The camp has an approximately $28,000 budget to fill, of which $8,000 has currently been raised through individual donations and the University's Alumni Association.
Doherty is optimistic that they will be awarded the remaining money through grants they are currently applying for and through a collection that will be taken at Mass during Junior Parents Weekend later this month.
"The cost of hospital bills, medicine and all the other expenses is immense, and we would hate for a child to not be able to attend for that reason," said Jenny Nokes, camper Care Committee Leader.
At Camp Kesem children will participate in typical summer camp activities, such as swimming, drama, art and nature activities. This provides children with the opportunity to go out and have fun, getting away from other stresses, said Doherty.
"The main goal is for the campers to have a really fun week and enjoy the simple joys of childhood," said Dell.
There will also be daily "cabin chats" where children will talk about topics such as who their role model is and what makes them happy or sad. Children will not be directly asked to talk about topics they may not be comfortable with, but these chats might lead to deeper issues, according to Dell and Doherty.
"Sharing in each other's experiences and building off each other's experiences will help let them know that they are not alone," said Dell.
All News Stories for Tuesday, February 4, 2003
