The Goodtimes Project/Camp Goodtimes
- Category: 2023 Specialty Program
- Submitted by: ContestCreator
- Name of Entry: You & Me Retreat
- Contact Name: Mark Schmor
- Contact Phone: 206-255-3804
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Entry Background/Description:
This three-day weekend retreat is meant to provide an opportunity for parents and children to spend some one-on-one time together in a campy environment. To be eligible, children must be from the ages of 7-17 and must be a pediatric cancer patient (on- or off-treatment) OR a sibling/bereaved sibling of a cancer patient.
The weekend program follows many of the same notes as a week of camp. Parents and children have the option of staying in cabins with other parent/child pairs. Campers are formed into “cabin groups” of 6-8 people (3-4 parents and 3-4 kiddos) and are matched up with a volunteer camp counselor who shepherds them through the weekend.
Cabin groups rotate through activity blocks led by volunteer activities staff. This year’s activities included Arts & Crafts, Egg Drop Challenge, Field Games, Nature Walk, and Nerf War. All meals were enjoyed in the Dining Hall and were preceded by a few classic camp songs (and interrupted by a few classic camp cheers). -
Why You Should Vote for Me:
1. Parents/guardians spend the majority of their time with or around their children, but making time for intentional connection is difficult. The You & Me Retreat offers parents and children a chance to rejuvenate their connection in a meaningful way.
2. This weekend is A TON of fun for parents and kids alike. Whether it was the “Dress Your Counselor” contest in which cabin groups imagine what kind of fashion would be popular in 100 years or the Skit Night presentation which featured the “Wright Sisters” getting their first airplane off the ground just before being attacked by a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the laughter and joy was contagious.
3. Parents come away from the experience with a richer understanding of why their child’s week of camp in the summer is so meaningful and the scaled down version of a week-long camp is a more accessible experience for some younger campers who wouldn’t necessarily thrive in a week-long setting in which they are separated from their parents.
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