Sleeping bags, s’mores, and swimming all came together mid-July at Crescent Cove’s first-ever Sibling Camp.
Our staff planned for weeks to welcome 13 kids from ages 6 to 15 to enjoy a two-night overnight camp. Campers slept in groups of two or three in each room with sleeping bags and air mattresses tumbled on the floor. They enjoyed activities like tie-dying, creating projects with Ziggy’s Art Bus, splatter paint art, canoeing, and more.
“Once the pandemic started we had to close our doors to siblings in our Home for health and safety reasons,” says Katy Glitsos, House Manager and Volunteer Coordinator. “It was such a joy to be able to share the Home again with the whole family. They see their siblings go to this magical place and wish they could go themselves. Now, finally, they could.”
For the staff, the best part of Sibling Camp was watching the connections made between the kids, most of whom were strangers before camp began. Some had lost a sibling, others have a sibling who currently comes to Crescent Cove for respite care.
Two campers were marveling at the massive tub in the tub room and realized that they both have a brother who uses a wheelchair. Another camper talked about how much his sibling, who has passed, had loved Crescent Cove — he said, “I can see why my sister liked it here.”
These connections helped campers know that they aren’t the only one living with a sibling who has complex medical needs or who passed.
One of the highlights of Sibling Camp was pontoon boat rides on Twin Lake, which ended on a beach at a volunteer’s home. There, the kids played on various water toys including paddle boards, a water trampoline and paddleboat under the watchful eye of our staff.
We’re so grateful for all of the volunteers who supported us during camp. The floors were mopped seemingly endlessly by our Busy Bee Volunteers, especially once the sand from the beach was tracked in! Campers and staff alike were nourished with amazing food by our 2022 MVP Busy Bee volunteer, Wendy Madson, and many Dragonfly Volunteers spent time with the kids leading them through activities or supporting the staff. We’re already making plans for next year!