Warning: The joy of Easter Seals camp is contagious!
by Beth
Earlier this month Rachel Talen (Public Relations Coordinator at Easter Seals Headquarters)and Katie Pieper (National Database Coordinator, Senior Community Service Employment Program grant ) joined Marketing and Corporate Relations interns Kate Duffy and TJ Spalty to take advantage of an invitation from Easter Seals Peoria and Bloomington-Normal and Decatur to visit their Penguin Project Camp at Timber Pointe Outdoor Center in Hudson, Illinois. I am pleased to introduce them as guest bloggers today so they can describe their experiences.
Rachel
We arrived at camp just in time for a dance party! What a fun way to kick off our time at the Penguin Project! After dancing and chatting with the kids and counselors, we learned these dance parties happen after each meal and in between activities. These kids know how to have fun and completely wore us out! After our dance party, we got to join the kids and counselors for a game of capture the flag and theater practice. TJ jumped right in and learned some lines and dance steps, too. Later on, we all went for pontoon boat rides around Lake Bloomington. Camp is so great — kids can play, dance, run around, be loud and just be themselves, and it brings out each of their unique personalities. I will never forget Wyatt’s toothy grin, Kaitlin’s glitter blue nail polish, Steve’s dance moves or when Jessie grabbed my hand walking to our next activity. I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to experience how fun Easter Seals can be!
Kate
Our experience at Camp Timber Pointe was truly amazing, and we couldn’t have received a warmer welcome. The staff and counselors were so wonderful, and the kids’ enthusiasm for camp was absolutely contagious — Who wouldn’t want to finish every meal jamming with friends?!
The thing I cherish most about our visit is the conversations I had with the campers. Alexa and I discussed the logistics of Build-A-Bear design, I sang “You are My Sunshine” with Wyatt, played “photographer” with Kelsey and heard all about how much Taylor loves The Penguin Project. Camp really seems, for lack of a better word, like a magical place to me. As an intern, I couldn’t have asked for a better first-time experience at an Easter Seals facility. I’m so happy I had this chance to grow more closely connected to the Easter Seals mission and cause.
TJ
After spending over a month interning for the the Marketing and Corporate Relations department at Easter Seals headquarters I felt that I had developed a firm understanding of Easter Seals and its mission. But all the hours spent working in the headquarters office at the Willis Tower in Chicago could never communicate what Easter Seals does the way my two days spent at the Penguin Project Camp did.
The kids had just finished lunch when we arrived, and they moved straight on to dancing. Their positive energy was contagious, and we jumped right up on the dance floor with them. After a few of these high quality groove sessions, I realized it wasn’t just their respect for tradition that made them dance — dancing was the best way to communicate their excitement and joy. These were kids that had so often been ignored, excluded, or forgotten, but in this place they were able to take center stage. Easter Seals’ mission was playing out before my very eyes.
Katie
As Rachel, Kate, and TJ mentioned, the kids were amazing. It was incredibly touching to be able to see them blossom in such an accepting and loving community. Kids perceived as shy back home were asking dates to the dance, sliding along the floor to music and laughing with each other. They sang “Lean On Me” on their last camp night, and defied Gravity during their final performance in front of their families.
Which brings me to one thing I had, admittedly, never really spent much time thinking about: the families of the campers. What a wonderful opportunity for this group of care-takers and families to get the much-needed (and often unavailable) time to recharge and focus on siblings who don’t always get as much attention. It was incredibly touching to see the families arrive at the lodge to get a visit in with their kids before the performance. After a quick hug and hello, most of them sat back with big smiles on their faces, taking pictures and talking amongst themselves. They were soaking in this special opportunity, seeing their children casually and playfully interact with the other campers and the counselors.
The counselors were quick to share how working at the camp has shaped them, and all the tears towards the end of camp made it clear how close the bonds grow between camper and counselor over such a quick period of time. I saw first-hand how cherished the experience is, and what an incredible impact Timber Pointe Outdoor Center makes on the lives of so many different people. Back at work here in Chicago, we couldn’t stop thinking about our camp experiences. All of us agreed: it was a highlight of our summer!